Artist X Change: Manoela Grigorova/Mojo and Muse
Following the official launch of our exciting new initiative Artist X Change. We are delighted to highlight the works of Manoela Grigorova @mojoandmuse from our first artist exchange collaboration with @vistionaryartcollective.
Manoela Grigorova is an emerging, intuitive artist exploring bold colours and contradicting textures through mixed media art, jewellery and sustainable adornment. Born in Varna, Bulgaria in 1983, under the Iron Curtain, there was certainly nothing grey or oppressive about her childhood. Inspiration was all around, from colourful textiles to tapestries to folklore tales deeply rooted within the Bulgarian culture.
Fast forward to 2020 and a global pandemic, art became a lifeline. Exploring the meditative and repetitive process of embroidery and mixed media was a way of dealing with current events and emotions around those, creating thought-provoking pieces that blur the lines between art and craft. She has since become a coveted member of the Society for Embroidered Work and flies the flag for art created with stitch to ensure it is recognised as an art form, and not just ‘women’s crafts’.
Artist Statement
I’ve been drawing, making and creating since I’ve known myself! During every low point in life, every gap between jobs, the only way to fulfill that void was through creating, whether it be fibre art, jewelry, or simply learning to use new mediums. The stresses of 2020 and 8 months of being furloughed (from work) gave me time to strengthen my skills and the creative output helped me to make sense of the ever-changing world.
Fascinated by the contrasts and contradictions of life, my work mirrors this in different ways; the fast processes of mark making with alcohol ink compared to the slow process of stitching with fibre, the smooth nature of Yupo paper and defining lines of alcohol inks, versus the soft and tactile feel of the fibre. It’s sometimes intuitive and sometimes methodical but almost always meditative. Working with fibre is a slow process, it allows me to be completely present and in-the-moment, working through my emotions with each French knot.
Mixed media pieces start off with alcohol ink as the base and layer on top with fibre, collage and beading. My passion for sustainability and limiting excess waste leads me to use a variety of preloved and upcycled elements weaving in and out of my pieces. Using materials that would otherwise go in a landfill, I aim to give them new life within my artworks and jewelry.
1. What are some of your favorite memories from childhood that relate to your creative career?
I grew up in Bulgaria until the age of 8, when we moved to the UK. I remember my mum being very creative, she was always making something with her hands, from knit, to crochet and macrame (it was huge in the 80s). Living in a Communist country, we couldn’t get variety from the West, so home décor was usually hand-made. Between my two grandmas, there was also tapestry, sewing, knitting, all sorts of creative and traditional crafts handed down to me. Handmade tapestries and rugs would ornate the walls, mostly for insulation in the winter, but for me, they were like pieces of art in a gallery. I remember being enamoured with the colours and lush textures.
I originally studies fashion design in college and university and was sure I would be a fashion designer one day. In high school, I did everything I could to sneak in textiles and fashion design into my art projects; For one project, I remember making ‘fabric’ out of coloured tissue paper and PVA glue. Once dry and transparent, I cut it into patterns and sewed it into a dress, somehow flogging it as an art project and even got a good grade! I didn’t end up working, I quit my degree and didn’t end up in fashion, but creativity and art has remained at the core of my soul and is often my sanctuary. For me embroidery is like anti fast fashion and consumerism, slow, meditative, valuable. Because it takes so long, it becomes a more personal experience, I do hope the end product, whether it’s an artwork or piece of clothing is cherished, valued and appreciated, as so much of me goes into it.
2. What are some influences or inspirations that you draw inspiration from?
I work intuitively and start with how I’m feeling, personal emotions. I then look at my materials for inspiration, whatever I have already, and then it might be colour, something visual or different textures together. Sustainability and recycling is important to me, so this is why I start with what I already have. I’m interested in exploring contrasts and contradictions, using personal experiences and working through emotions and feelings. This spills out onto the canvas, layering with contrasting textures, colours and materials, soft versus hard, textures versus smooth Yupo paper etc. Visually, nature and particularly sea creatures, corals, geographic layering, macro photography, microscopic organisms are a huge inspiration. I love the work of artists like Jackson Pollock, Jean Michel Basquiat and Gustav Klimpt and am also influenced by movements such as Surrealism, Pointillism and Abstract Expressionism.
3. You work has resemblance of sea life and plant inspired details, how was the fascination with these details born?
I’ve always had a passion for the natural world. There’s nothing better than sitting down with a David Attenborough documentary and embroidering. I can’t help my love of the sea, being born in a coastal town, Varna. I’ve always been fascinated by the sea and its weird and wonderful creatures. My brother, who is an oceanographer, did his PhD paper on diatoms, the teeny tiny plankton made of phytoplankton (plants) and zooplankton (small animals) which can only be seen under the microscope. I remember being fascinated by these images and had a collection of his slides. They’re also some of the most important
organisms to humans as they provide up to 50% of the earth oxygen supply! Since my travels in Southeast Asia, I’ve also been obsessed with corals, after lots of snorkeling around the seas of Thailand, Malaysia and Borneo. They’re just so magical! And again, very important organisms for humans, being the nurseries of our fish supply as well as super important as flood defense.
4. If you could be or do anything in this world, if there were no limitations, what would it be?
Anything really? No limitations? Well, that’s easy. I would live in Borneo with my partner, eat amazing Malay and Indonesian food, go snorkeling all the time (in the imaginary clean oceans of this unlimited world). I would work at an orangutan rehabilitation centre during the day and be an artist at night! That’s if life didn’t get in the way and the distances weren’t that great between Borneo and the UK… maybe in another life, when teleportation (to regularly see family and friends of course) is a possibility. You did say no limitations!
5. How do you want your work to impact the viewers?
My craft is like therapy for me, it helps me to work through negative emotions and anxieties with every stitch turning it around and creating beautiful, colourful abstract worlds that bring joy and are deliciously touch-worthy. The aim is to captivate the viewer and make them feel a sort of immersive escapism, an innocent wonderment that children have when they have their first encounters with nature, the same way I feel when I look at corals or am in nature! I want to challenge the idea that anything created with fibre, stitch or embellishment is just ‘women’s crafts’ and bring stitch into the contemporary art world.
Find Manoela: @mojoandmuse www.mojoandmuse.co.uk
What is Artist X Change?
We created an Artist X Change program in order to extend our efforts to highlight women artists beyond what’s accessible to us. The program is free to the artists and encourages art organizations to reach and promote artists beyond just their community.
For the first feature, we teamed up with Visionary Art Collective, where Victoria visited the studios of All SHE Makes artists in Brooklyn to chat with them about their work and create a few short videos. In return, we interviewed a few artists from Visionary Art Collective. This extensive feature is split into two parts across two issues of All SHE Makes magazine (4 and 5).
