"Every garden is the production of an atmosphere. Every garden is a technique that has to make breathing possible." - Emmanuele Coccia, The Cosmic Garden, Zurich, 2018
I have had a strong interest in the natural sciences since my high school years long ago. I loved biology and I used to picture myself in a research lab making discoveries with plants, cells, molecules and genes. My life took different turns and I became an artist. Instead of being a scientist, I earned my living as an independent visual artist and also became a gardener. I wanted to build a physical relationship with the Earth. I wanted to have a feeling of abundance, surrounded by a sea of flowers; the unequalled colours their petals give us. When I work on the land, I am inspired by my ancestral farmer's life. The hunger to own land and grow food.
My works are textile objects, embroidered by hand. I often use a linen base and silk threads; the best materials to complete fine needleworks. Usually there are strong narrative elements with darker undertones dominating the surface. I work with the idea of Dionysian feelings, portraying male and female figures interlaced by real and imagined vegetation, suggesting connectedness in an earthly microcosm. I also want to show the enjoyment and appreciation of myths and legends of different races, sexual preferences, flowers, fruits, colours, living and imagined creatures, seeing the environment and human identity as a whole but fragile and an always changing subject.
Hortus Fertilis / The Eden Project
I want to work with the idea of fertility as the general driving force of life around us. I imagine a large, ornamental tapestry with lush vegetation of the given space, a large green tapestry, where we can discover some small erotic scenes, which come to shake up the usual subjects of traditional embroidery of past centuries. In my research I discover and observe weeds, flowers and birds, which are same or different from what I am familiar with.These local motifs take shape in my sketch book and help me to design my pieces. I also rely on local books and conversations in order to understand the space and spirit of a place. I genuinely hope that my research and drawings will help me to begin joyful and inspirational works, a nature-centred visual art statement about our beautiful environment that we want to share in peace with future generations everywhere on Earth.
- Anna Torma, Baie Verte, New Brunswick
