Gigi Woolery
Synthesizing found objects, foraged material, and second-hand textiles, Gigi Woolery focuses on textiles and sculpture to create sentimental objects. Their work is influenced by land stewardship, the Colombian diaspora, and traditional home economics passed down from grandmothers, with themes that include gender and violence, and growing up culturally between the Pacific Northwest and Colombia.
Gigi Woolery is a multidisciplinary artist working out of Portland, OR. Their art has been included in group shows in Portland, Los Angeles, and New York, and has been featured in local and national print and online publications. Gigi leads workshops on textile dyeing and repair, aiming to bring hyperlocal knowledge and deep care for land to their art pedagogy. They will receive their BFA in Art Practice from Portland State in fall 2021.
Gigi Woolery
In Good Graces, 2021
stretched quilt backing, rust solution, quilt scraps, embroidery
60 x 40 inches
Gigi Woolery
The Terrible Child, 2021
stretched quilt backing, rust solution, quilt scraps, embroidery
60 x 40 inches
"These textile paintings are made from worn out bedding textiles from my grandmother’s home. Embroidery is used to apply scraps of old quilt to the surface to create images that reference the short story, The Black Sheep by Margarita Aguirre. Both blankets have been painted with a solution of rusted iron to compliment blood stains original to the blankets, as well as a reference to my memory of the floral wallpaper of my grandmother’s old home. Their signs of damage and staining point to their use and function as storing time and witnessing bodies." – Gigi Woolery
