About
JustRo Presents: The Art of Textile
"In 2021, a transformative journey through Ghana, Togo, and Senegal ignited a profound connection with the African continent and its vibrant artistic heritage. I had the extraordinary privilege of collaborating with local artisans, most notably the textile artists, whose process held a captivating beauty and mystique. Immersed in their weaving, painting, and dyeing traditions, I felt invited into an intimate storytelling circle, gifted with ancient wisdom. I was not only able to participate in creating textiles, but I was also gifted textiles made by local artisans, furthering this intimate connection. The proverb "Sankofa" – the idea of reaching back to the past to understand and move forward – resonated deeply during this time and has become even more important to me since my return. Connecting my current experiences with these ancient proverbs helps to maintain clarity and provides a sense of grounding, even from thousands of miles away.
Upon returning to the United States, the weight of routine and the barrage of negative messages that pervade daily life felt heavier than ever. In that moment, the profound importance of my West African experience crystallized. It became immediately apparent that I must utilize the gifted textiles to create. Preserving their integrity was paramount; their creation felt like a sacred act, demanding thoughtful consideration on how to integrate them into my work. This ignited a desire to transcend the textiles' two-dimensional surface, drawing upon my background as an aerospace engineer to innovate and reimagine my artistic practice. The aircraft wing construction process involves taking a carbon fiber-type textile, prized for its strength and durability, pressing it against a mold or shape, and applying an adhesive to lock it in place. Employing a similar approach, I am able to reshape the fluid-like fabric into a solid, dimensional form. This process is symbolic; it allows me to reshape the fluid-like fabric into a solid surface that has dimension. It transcends the two-dimensional plane, yet is still displayed in a manner similar to a painting, providing a familiar viewing experience for the audience.
This unique process allows me to mold shapes and letters into the textile itself, utilizing dimension as a tool to create visual images and words without altering the existing imagery. This revelation inspired "Visual Aphorisms." The textiles inherently hold a message, locked within ancient symbols and processes – a visual language that can seem mysterious, esoteric, and abstract. The work of Jasper Johns, and his approach of infusing meaning into abstraction by incorporating recognizable symbols, provided a framework for bridging that gap.
In "Visual Aphorisms," the textiles are the abstract. The aphorisms I mold into the fabric serve as the bridge of recognition for the viewer. It is my belief that this connection helps to foster a grounding experience, providing the viewer with a resonance of the similar emotional and intellectual impact that I felt during my time working with the artisans and these meaningful cloths."
"Currently on exhibit, the "Dope" series embodies my experience with West African textile artisains. Check out my gift shop for the limited edition pieces."
Click here to check out JustRo talk about the "Dope" series.