[“The Pocketbook” by Jennifer Farago Image Courtesy of the Artist]
“These are vulvas,” said Farrago of the work featured in ‘Out of the Shadows,’ the 50-year-old artist’s first ever solo exhibition. “Why is that a dirty word? And I’m guilty of it myself, I’m [acting sheepish] when I talk to people about it. I feel that same shame that all women in humanity do when talking about our body parts.”
You may have seen the artist’s work around Savannah before, but never like this. Farrago is known primarily for what she calls “thread painting,” a technique where she expertly renders realistic scenes using fabric and thread instead of canvas and painting. These anatomical renderings, however, are much freer, and much more provocative, even if she doesn’t believe that the subject matter should be considered controversial.
“I want it to be normalized,” she said. “Appreciate what you have. Feel beautiful and feel represented.”
Becoming an Artist
Farago grew up surrounded by fibers and fabrics, and claims that she first started working with the materials as young as “three to four years old.” She loved to sew, and as an adult, she learned to quilt, ultimately connecting with other local quilters to better refine her craft.
As much as she loved the form, however, she felt that it wasn’t expansive enough to allow her to fully express her artistry.
[“Showtime” by Jennifer Farago Image Courtesy of the Artist]
“When you hang a quilt on a wall, people don’t always understand, ‘How is this art?’” Farago related. "I wanted to do more than sew squares of fabric together.”
That realization ultimately lead to her “thread paintings,” exquisitely-crafted works that, sadly, failed to resonate with the wider public, and now mostly sit on a shelf in her studio gathering dust. Then, this spring, she attended a painting class at John C. Campbell Folk School (aka “The Folk School”) in Brasstown, North Carolina, where she heard a quote that got her thinking about her work in a new way.
“The teacher I had…said, ‘Art is the filter of how you see things,’” she recalled. “That was also one of the pieces of the puzzle that made it okay for me to be an artist. I did not have to be with my thread paintings, meticulous, and get every knot and every piece of wood, and get every stone and every tree leaf where it’s supposed to be. It is the filter of how I see these things. And [it’s] okay not to be perfect.”
“Wait, someone would actually pay money for this?”
Returning home from The Folk School, Farago was looking for ways to express herself more authentically through her chosen medium. She’d begun tossing around the idea for what would ultimately come to form the bulk of the work for “Out of the Shadows,” but she wasn’t entirely sure. Then, during an appointment with her Gynecologist, she told the doctor what she was thinking, and was surprised when they expressed interest in purchasing several to display on the walls of the office.
“I was like, ‘Wait, someone would actually pay money for this?’” Farago noted. “So…the door was opening to say, ‘It’s okay, come out and make art for people…and pass that message on.’”
[“N” by Jennifer Farago, one of four pieces that collectively spell C-U-N-T [Image Courtesy of the Artist]
The result? Sixteen sewn depictions of vulvas, with names like “Va JJ,” “Purple Pain,” and “Hoo Ha,” all of which she got by asking other women what they call their sexual organs. Additionally, she’ll have a collection of Christmas-ornament-sized “Pocket Pussies” available at a lower price point.
“So here it is,” she said. “I hope that people have those personal experiences [with the work]. These aren’t my stories; these are someone else’s story that haven’t been written yet.”
“Out of the Shadows” by Jennifer Farago at Starlandia Art Supply, 2438 Bull Street in Savannah, opens November 1st from 6-9pm. Through Black Friday.
You can find Farago on Instagram @jenniferfaragoart.
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