Ágnes Herczeg is an artist who creates intricate lace sculptures, merging the delicate art of lace-making with the rustic beauty of found wood. Her work is a testament to the harmonious blend of traditional handicraft techniques with natural elements, resulting in pieces that evoke a sense of contemplative beauty. Herczeg’s figures, often depicting women in various states of repose or contemplation, are meticulously crafted using needle lace and pillow lace techniques.
These figures are then thoughtfully fused to pieces of wood, which not only serve as a stark, contrasting backdrop but also as an integral part of the narrative each sculpture tells. The wood, with its knotty and rugged texture, complements the finesse of the lacework, creating a balance between strength and fragility, between the permanence of nature and the ephemerality of human existence. Herczeg’s work is available for purchase, allowing art enthusiasts to own a piece of this unique fusion of craft and nature.
Preparing needle lace is a time-consuming and delicate work, which requires a high degree of attention. I like preparing laces with very thin threads, for which I used to apply madeira viscose threads, but currently I prefer working with pure silk thread. The contour of the needle lace works is made of thin wires, which enables a suitable stiffness. The pattern and density of the stitches within the contours determines the graphics of the given work, which is a process-based completely on improvisation. It is like drawing with the help of stitches. The lace work is dyed afterwards, which might be the most exciting phase of all as this is the part when my work becomes a picture.
Ágnes Herczeg
More info: Website, Facebook, Pinterest (h/t: Colossal).
