Arteles Catalogue 2023-2020

Back to Basics program / JULY 2023
Julia John
USA
www.juliajohn.net
About
I am an artist based in Brooklyn, NY who makes clothing
and works primarily with textiles. I explore the interaction
between body and garment, the tactile nature of cloth as
a communication tool, and how clothing can function as
sculpture when a body is absent. My work is informed by
exploration of my surroundings and a search for joy.
Learning to Draw
Arteles was a nurturing, quiet space to confront fears, pick
wild blueberries, and ask big questions that were received
openly. It was a space to move slow and be still, to rest, and
to consider what it means to go back to basics. Artwork
came after deep reflection and when it did, it came playfully.
I became interested in how the same repeated shape could
represent many lifeforms, places, and moments. Here is a
boat that is a feather, a flame, a crevice, a curtain, a pea pod,
a petal, a cocoon, an armpit, an embryo, a leaf, the negative
space between limbs. I saw the human body mirrored in
natural forms when I sat by the lake with my eyes just above
the surface of the water. I stayed up all night watching the
sky stay light, curious to know where the courage to make
art comes from.