La Jornada: The textile work of the Danish Trine Ellitsgaard is exhibited in Oaxaca

Oaxaca, Oax., Last weekend the exhibition Horse, yak, sheep and goatby Danish artist Trine Ellitsgaard, which exhibits pieces she has made since 1979, when she finished her career.

The exhibition, presented in the space of the civil association Friends of the Institute of Graphic Arts of Oaxaca and the Manuel Álvarez Bravo Photography Center, shows the artist’s earliest stage and her maturity, in addition to the use of various materials.

The creator explained that she mainly used horse and sheep fibers, common materials in Denmark, which became complicated after she went abroad, since traveling carrying these materials was difficult, in addition to the fact that if she was making a rug and the fiber ran out, the piece would remain unfinished.

For that reason, he began to explore with local materials until he found agave fibers, with which he has worked in recent years in the creation of his works, which have evolved, because although he continues to work with the techniques he used in Denmark, in the European country he made floor mats due to the low temperatures that are recorded most of the year, but in Mexico the climate is warmer and that is why he now makes pieces to be hung on the wall.

When asked if she has a favorite piece among the rugs she has made, she laughed and said that she couldn’t choose one, since they all have something characteristic and are like her daughters because they came from her, from her heart, and as such, she can’t have a favorite.

The pieces have particular characteristics, colors, sizes and stories. One of these was inspired by a turtle, another by the fretwork of the archaeological zone of Mitla, “each work is unique and unrepeatable,” he highlighted.

Trine Ellitsgaard showed pieces that were exhibited in central Copenhagen in 1994 along with works by Flor Garduño. For the Danish artist, who has been living in Mexico for 30 years, it was important to show her compatriots “her new life.”