Zwarte Piet, Felt portrait 10

The catalyst for this work is the phenomenon of ‘Zwarte Piet’- the black servant/slave who accompanies Saint Nicolas at Christmas in Holland. The Zwarte Piet series, including a short film and sets of large felted portraits Textiles, are direct critiques of this quaint Dutch ritual.
The felted textiles in the series ‘Big SISTER’ invite the viewer to re evaluate Zwarte Piet, no longer the child -like fool, but a commanding adult female presence with a very different agenda.
This large textile is digitally printed onto silk chiffon, Nuno felted with Merino wool then hand stitched and mounted.