Years ago I worked in Šiška. Every morning I drove past a building, which has a beautiful stained glass window and a flag outside with an EMBROIDERED logo. I knew right away that it had to be something very special. Explanation: Most flags in front of businesses are printed because it's cheaper, especially for something that is then exposed to the weather. Unless you are a master flag maker of course, then you make your own flag, embroidered of course.
Fast forward to 2023: I'm looking for interesting embroidery examples for a blog post with @needle_at_work. I remember that flag, look up the website and see they are hosting open house!
Already on the website, the products are outstanding. It is unimaginable how big the embroideries are. We are used to embroideries being small, something you can easily hold with one hand and embroider with the other. There are embroideries ranging in size from a wristwatch to an entire wall composition (or cabinet, recliner, boots)
Ercigoj embroidery exhibition pieces are real masterpieces. If you can mix colors on the palette when painting, you have to mix them on the canvas when embroidering. Similar to the impressionists, you get the real experience when you step back a little. Then you quickly step up close again to observe the stitches, the direction, the length of the stitches and the interweaving of the colored threads! An extraordinary element that is unique to textile art is the change of luster when the viewer moves/changes their position. How the light reflects off the thread, now from one side then from the other, cannot be described in words.
You can really see how diverse the application of the embroidery technique can be in Ercigoj's products. The superbly finished products are technologically such extraordinary creations that it takes your breath away! From soft products that follow the natural properties of textiles (softness, flatness, texture of a recliner, clothes) to purely painterly/architectural pieces (embroidery, hung on a screen, a lamp, a cabinet door).
You can experience many of their products as banners (hunting families, beekeeping establishments, firefighters). If you have a chance to see (or even touch) one of them, go see it!
As the host herself pointed out, they are among the few creators who advocate embroidery as an art form. Even abroad, artists are faced with treating embroidery as a "mere" craft and not a "real" art like sculpture, architecture, graphics. Deeper discussions about what is craft and what is art remain open for another opportunity. I look forward to watching the penetration of embroidery into the sphere of contemporary art, with the Ercigoj team at the forefront!
If you enjoyed bit of reading, stop by my insta page (@ajda_embro_design) where you’ll get an idea for a gift, learn how to make a stitch or find some other useful embroidery information!
Ajda Zorko is a guest blogger. Her opinions do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Štikarca.