‘Which way is… forward’ Guido Yannitto (ARG) 

300cm x 500 cm. Woolen tapestry, Jacquard woven (2018)

The art and heritage committee has recently purchased a  beautiful art work of the Argentinian artist Guido Yannitto. He  mostly works with textile materials. In his work he likes to involve local craftsmen and country-specific weaving techniques. Yannitto is often inspired by the presence of geographical lines in the landscape and territory. For instance, he has woven a tapestry of how Google Maps presents locations in a graphical way.

During his art residency in 2017-2018 at the Jan van Eyck Art Institute in Maastricht he was attracted by the ancient city walls of Maastricht because they also present lines which ‘frame’ the city.

He took pictures of the walls and transformed these into a tapestry woven at the lab of the Tilburg Textile Museum. In this lab antique weaving machines are still in working condition. In the past, these machines were used by Dutch craftsmen working in the local textile industry.

This woolen tapestry is woven in three parts on a typical Jacquard machine with which complex patterns can be manufactured in a fairly simple way. The result is an exceptional tactile artwork; one is tempted to take it for a real city wall.

A special thank to Dr. Nick Bos, vice president Executive Board. This artwork was purchased by the Arts and Heritage committee with budget generated by him for the UM.

Mieke Derickx