Maria Nymfiadi,
Artist and educator
‘Dema means bundle, package.
Researching a feminist toolbox for art practice and education’.
Artist and educator
‘Dema means bundle, package.
Researching a feminist toolbox for art practice and education’.
What are your feminist tools? Mine include a pen and a keyboard, a table; the things around me that allow me to keep writing to send my words out. (Ahmed, 2017, p.241)
I was born in Athens, Greece, and for the last ten years I have lived in London with my family. My home is my ‘studio,’ and as a result my two children (11 and 4 years old) usually interact with me, asking questions and suggesting ideas whilst I am working.
The process of creating Dema has been a learning experience. When I started researching feminist textile art my daughter taught me finger knitting and then we learned crochet from books and video tutorials. Next, my son let me use in my artwork the sticks he collects on the way back home from nursery.
Learning to create freeform crochet connected me with my mother who lives in Greece as she is highly skilled in knitting, embroidery and costume making. When I was a child, she tried to teach me, but I never had the patience to follow patterns.
Through the interlocking of loops of thread, I could feel the links and connections between the women of my family. Part of the artworks are memories and stories of sexism, where strong patriarchal values exist. For that reason, I am researching feminism and feminist art practice, considering what feminist art can teach us today.
This project is dedicated to my grandmother Maria, who taught me the importance of voting.
Ahmed, S. (2017) Living a Feminist Life. London: Duke University Press.
The process of creating Dema has been a learning experience. When I started researching feminist textile art my daughter taught me finger knitting and then we learned crochet from books and video tutorials. Next, my son let me use in my artwork the sticks he collects on the way back home from nursery.
Learning to create freeform crochet connected me with my mother who lives in Greece as she is highly skilled in knitting, embroidery and costume making. When I was a child, she tried to teach me, but I never had the patience to follow patterns.
Through the interlocking of loops of thread, I could feel the links and connections between the women of my family. Part of the artworks are memories and stories of sexism, where strong patriarchal values exist. For that reason, I am researching feminism and feminist art practice, considering what feminist art can teach us today.
This project is dedicated to my grandmother Maria, who taught me the importance of voting.
Ahmed, S. (2017) Living a Feminist Life. London: Duke University Press.