If you're an avid reader of knittingwithfloss (which none of you are), then you may remember the last time I referenced crochet master Olek when she covered a piano in rapid-fire crochet.
Olek is the Johnny Appleseed of crochet, I'm convinced of it. She's traversing this planet and dropping crochet seeds everywhere she goes, carpeting all open surfaces with neon, multi-colored treble crochets. In fact, rumor has it Olek has already covered her entire apartment in crochet (more on this later).
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| © Olek |
Regardless, Olek is spreading the gospel of crochet across the globe. As she says on her website, "Hour after hour my madness becomes crochet. Life and art are inseparable. The movies I watch while crocheting influence my work, and my work dictates the films I select. I crochet everything that enters my space. Sometimes it's a text message, a medical report, found objects."
I have to say it. When I first read that statement, I immediately thought of a video The Doo made a while back that still cracks me up:
I don't know if it's the "hour after hour my madness becomes crochet" bit, but I'm sure someone could film her in black and white furiously crocheting with her narrative playing and it would be Bergman genius.
Anyway, the point of this post was to spread the word that Olek has a new show opening at Tony's Gallery in the UK. Go Olek! Craft on with your fibery self!
The show opens today, if I have any readers in the UK (I have no readers in the UK) and is called (wait for it)...
Oh, Olek. Be still my heart.
Apparently she has crocheted whole rooms with crocheted objects in them, as well as covering the floors and walls in crochet. She has also crocheted her trademark messages into the work, examples of which can be seen in the first photo up top. She uses a lot of text messages she has received and many of them are dirty, which she feels is exemplary of the sexism inherent in the world today.
Oh, Olek. Be still my heart.
Later this year, Olek will be featured in the Smithsonian American Art Museum exhibition 40 under 40, in which she will be displaying her crocheted studio apartment... and I assume that means her entire apartment is covered in crochet. My first thought goes to the bathroom, and what must be happening there, but I guess I'll have to wait until the exhibit opens later this year to find out.
Here's some random Olek...
I love what she did here....
Here's some random Olek...
I love what she did here....
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| © Olek |
....and this truly terrifies me
Whatever she's doing, I love it. She's elevating crafters everywhere.
I'll leave you with this image of a London taxi cab that ran into Olek. You don't run into Olek and walk away uncrocheted.
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| © Olek |
I'll leave you with this image of a London taxi cab that ran into Olek. You don't run into Olek and walk away uncrocheted.
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| © Tony's Gallery |
Happy (existentialist) crocheting!
Flossie
I've never reblogged a post from someone but I assume that if you have the button you must be ok about it. If you are not then tell me and I will remove it at once. I enjoyed your chicken coats and forwarded it to all my friends with chickens. We;re not supposed to have chickens in our town but some do and enjoy fresh eggs as a result. So far they say that their chickens have not lost their feathers in years. Wonder why not.
ReplyDeleteI love it! The pictures are wild! Video is great too.
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