DAY’S EYE

Light for Day’s Eye Exhibition

They hang seemingly weightlessly on the walls—at times reminiscent of retro-futuristic armor, at others of a concept-store must-have. Austrian artist Maria Szakats creates textile objects that cannot be worn. Each unique piece requires hours of meticulous manual work and emerges from an immersive artistic process with a distinctly performative quality. The repetitive rhythm of knitting—its monotonous sequence of hand movements—sets the pace for this methodical practice. Having worked for 15 years as a designer for major fashion houses in Paris, Szakats now explores the intersection of sculpture and design in her artistic work.

Alongside textile objects knitted from metal chains, the exhibition Day’s Eye presents hand-knotted tapestries, some of which require up to 250 hours to complete. As a counterpoint to the mass industrial production of the textile industry—which has transformed fashion, even in the luxury sector, into a disposable commodity—Szakats investigates the sculptural qualities of garments and textiles, while elevating the high art of craftsmanship.

CURATED BY Christine Scheucher
ARTIST Maria Szakats
LIGHT DESIGN Margula Architects
LOCATION plainart
FOTOS