Interlocking Culture
By Sophie DeJesus
Tattooed Faux Leather in custom wood frame
Artwork: 13” x 11” Framed: 21” x 19.5
Artist Statement: This piece synthesizes my Filipino and American identities through tattooing and textiles. There is an ancient Ilocano philosophy that skin and fabric are one and the same, and the same motifs woven into garments are also tattooed onto the body. The crab is a significant symbol to me personally, being from Maryland and a cancer; but it is also significant in traditional Filipino tattoos, meaning the traveler. I created a textile repeat pattern which I then tattooed merging the Filipino symbol for crab with a more representational crab design.
Artist Bio: Sophie deJesus graduated from the Rhode Island School of Design, majoring in Textiles with a concentration in History Philosophy and Social Sciences. Their practice is currently centered around tattooing as a textile medium. They are getting their MFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago in Fiber and Material Studies.
“My work has a deliberateness and intentionality that comes from a place of care. Textiles and tattooing are slow mediums that involve a lot of repetition, which makes creating them a meditative process. I feel that this work was made with deep care and a slowness that would be best observed within the peace of a greenhouse. ”
-Sophie deJesus, Chicago IL.
Interlocking Culture
By Sophie DeJesus
Tattooed Faux Leather in custom wood frame
Artwork: 13” x 11” Framed: 21” x 19.5
Artist Statement: This piece synthesizes my Filipino and American identities through tattooing and textiles. There is an ancient Ilocano philosophy that skin and fabric are one and the same, and the same motifs woven into garments are also tattooed onto the body. The crab is a significant symbol to me personally, being from Maryland and a cancer; but it is also significant in traditional Filipino tattoos, meaning the traveler. I created a textile repeat pattern which I then tattooed merging the Filipino symbol for crab with a more representational crab design.
Artist Bio: Sophie deJesus graduated from the Rhode Island School of Design, majoring in Textiles with a concentration in History Philosophy and Social Sciences. Their practice is currently centered around tattooing as a textile medium. They are getting their MFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago in Fiber and Material Studies.
“My work has a deliberateness and intentionality that comes from a place of care. Textiles and tattooing are slow mediums that involve a lot of repetition, which makes creating them a meditative process. I feel that this work was made with deep care and a slowness that would be best observed within the peace of a greenhouse. ”
-Sophie deJesus, Chicago IL.
