Impressions, 50x70cm, woodcut on canvas with sheep wool, 2022

Impressions emerged from my experiences with sheep and examination of their wool. The focus of this work lies on the sheep’s skin, both as a physical material and as a conceptual foundation to explore the interrelatedness of existence. This idea is further developed through printmaking. I became particularly interested in reproducing the texture of sheep’s wool through graphic art and finding other-than-figurative ways of representing sheep to challenge the well-known figurations of sheep and not only limit the existence ofsheep to their physical form.

The wool from these artwork came from the animal sanctuary in Saarbrücken and the Moutons de Bruxelles. In both places, sheep had to be shored regularly and the people did not have a specific use for the wool. In Saarbrücken, the wool was placed in a corner of the land, to slowly rot, while at the Moutons de Bruxelles, it was stocked in big plastic bags in a room. After getting permission, some of the wool lying around at the animal sanctuary was taken and a big bag of raw wool purchased from the Moutons de Bruxelles.
Within the creative process, two wooden plates were used. The first one was carved with the aim to mimick the wool structure, through oval shapes. The second plate was carved with longer lines, following the grain of the wood itself. Woodcut printing was chosen for several reasons: Firstly, it is a sustainable, non-toxic artistic method that has a calming and comforting presence. Then, wood has always been present in my interactions with sheep and its materiality functions as a stimulus to recall the encounter with the other. Also, wood has a specific agency, whose aesthetic qualities are appreciated and enrich the artworks. Its graininess and hardness guide the engravings and give texture.