Ode to Vrouwelijke MakersDreams
Yamuna Forzani and Celine Hurka, Symbols of Utopia - Dreams, 2024. Photo: Amsterdam Museum/Gert Jan van Rooij
Symbols of Utopia – Dreams, 2024.
Typography and textile are combine in this artwork. The large canvas is interwoven with symbolic characters and snippets of text. These are derived from odes on the digital platform of Women of Amsterdam. The work is part of a large-scale artistic research project by artist duo Yamuna Forzani (1993) and Céline Hurka (1995). In her work, multidisciplinary artist and queer activist Forzani focuses on envisioning a queer utopia, where textiles and social initiatives are key. Hurka is a typographic designer who investigates the cultural significance behind letterforms.
Yamuna Forzani and Celine Hurka, Symbols of Utopia - Dreams, 2024. Photo: Amsterdam Museum/Gert Jan van Rooij
Together they delved into archives and museum collections, including those of the Amsterdam Museum, and searched for works and symbolism of women makers. This research led them to historical objects such as samplers and banners, which they used as inspiration for new, inclusive typefaces.
Symbols of Utopia is a celebration of dreams, gender and queer identity through fonts, large wall hangings and installations. The work also invites contemplation on the importance of female collaboration and friendship in arts.
About
Ode by Yamuna Forzani and Celine Hurka to female creators
On loan from the artists.
This piece was developed and produced at the TextielMuseum in Tilburg with technician Mathilde Vandenbussche and assisted by Mari Ebisu. The research is supported by the Creative Industries Fund NL.
Courtesy of Rademakers Gallery.
Vrouwelijke Makers
Symbols of Utopia is a celebration of dreams, gender and queer identity through typefaces, large wall hangings and installations. The work also invites reflection on the absence of female creators within typography and asks: how can we make them visible?