Cross Roads by Leonie Castelino

From Leonie Castelina, the superb Bojagi artist, this press release and photos.

‘CROSS ROADS’, A Work of Art in Contemporary Bojagi by Leonie Castelino was exhibited at the Henan Art Museum in  Zhengzhou City, China, at the 6^th  Fiber Art Biennale From Lausanne to Beijing in October – November 2010.  It was one of 291 works of fiber art from artists all over the world.

In ‘CROSS ROADS’, Leonie explores ‘Mandala and the Cosmic Stream of Consciousness’, in the distinctive elements of Pojagi or Bojagi: material, architecture, seams, transparency, color,  composition and design.  Color in the background material is layered and juxtaposed, so that at different vantage points, the hue changes.  The medallion is textured with the intricate ‘gekki’ or triple seams and layered. The black organza has been rusted and exudes a subtle patterning. Hints of shimmer of metallic organza are interspersed. The work is described as feminine with a sensuous mystique.  This work of art is created with silk organza, machine and hand pieced.  It measures 28” x 61”.

Homage to Klee by Leonie Castelino

I received an email and photo from Leonie Castelino, American Fiber Artist from Mahwah, New Jersey, who is showing her Contemporary Pojagi: ‘Homage to Klee’ in the European Patchwork Meeting Show in Alsace, France. Her work will be published in the Catalog that includes the International Artists for the ‘Pojagi & Beyond 2010’.

‘Homage to Klee’, 24” wide by 60” long, is pieced in one of the traditional pojagi seams – marubekki – which is a fell seam or a double seam. The material used is silk organza from Korea and India. Organza from each country is unique in its weight, weave and ‘hand’ or feel. All the colored squares and rectangles in are Korean silk organza.

Gorgeous, gorgeous. Thanks to Leonie for sharing the with me and my readers!

(picture courtesy Leonie Castelino)

Korean Quilting Show

A few years ago I took a class on pojagi at Quilt Surface Design Symposium in Columbus, OH. I met Leonie Castelino at the class. She’s an incredible fiber artist from Muhwah, New Jersey. We lost touch for a while. Then I saw her work on the internet. She does the most beautiful pieces and recently sent me information about her new show. If you’re in Seattle, go. You will love her contemporary use of an old technique.

Leonie’s Contemporary Pojagi, ‘Rhapsody in Blue’ is being exhibited at the Columbia City Gallery in Seattle, WA, along with the work of 10 international fiber artists. The title of the exhibition is: POJAGI NOW: Contemporary Interpretation of the Korean Wrapping Cloth. It runs until Sep 19, 2010. Here’s what Leonie herself says about it:"

‘Rhapsody in Blue’, 41” wide by 100” long, is pieced in one of the traditional pojagi seams—“gekki”—which is a triple hairline seam. The material used is polyester organza, where some of the pieces are flat, folded in lines or arcs, or sculpted to provide dimension.

Traditional pojagi (pojaki, bojagi, or bojaki) has its origins in the Choson Dynasty that spanned 518 years, from 1392-1910. Society was most rigidly controlled during this pre-modern period in Korean history. Women were severely repressed and forbidden any social status. Their only creative outlet from isolation was needlecraft in the exquisite piecing of salvaged materials to create breathtaking pojagis with which to wrap various objects. Cloth was used efficiently with minimum waste. Hence squares, rectangles, and triangles were pieced together.

This particular work of art, ‘Rhapsody in Blue’, with its free-form of composition and asymmetrical structure, is a statement that reflects the contemporary society we live in today. It breaks all the rules associated with this uniquely sensitive and traditional art form.