Helene Black: 2001 :: Blanc sur Blanc

Saint Etienne Museum of Modern Art, Saint Etienne, France
Group show
Performance
March 2001

Text by Rheya Linden

“Relieving Toils” pays homage to the Cypriot history of embroidery, the art of Pierre Soulages and the choreography of Michel Hallet Eghayan. Visual elements are fragmented and then recomposed to form a work which continues Helene’s on going study which fuses contemporary social theory, industry and technology.

Relieving Toils utilises the geometry of the traditional ‘asproblumi’ embroidery, characteristic by its white on white and introducing a mathematical rhythm upon the the elegant flowing ‘potamos’ (river) form of the later Venetian influenced Lefkara lace. One of the earliest examples of Cypriot diaspora history was the itinerant lace merchant who traveled throughout Europe selling the embroidery whilst womenfolk remained at home embroidering. This lifestyle created a very strong distinction between the gender roles.

The monochromatic works of Soulages with their sensitive interaction with light and reflection are echoed in this work. The lines of fibre optics represent the lace meandering patterns but also the choreographed interactive movements of the dancers on stage.

The title of the artwork reveals Helene’s conceptual preoccupation in the creation of this artwork. Relieving is the English translation of Soulages as well as satisfaction which is felt through the creation process. Toils not only describes the hard working women embroidering but also the toils of the diaspora.