Free Stitches

Aviv Keller's embroidery work is a personal language that she has developed
as a result of her search for new means of expression. Having previously trained as a realistic painter, Keller often treats embroidery like painting; the needle taking the role of the paintbrush and the threads being used like paint. 

Each work takes months to complete. Keller's subject matters are urban landscapes that she chooses from photos that she takes. These images are transferred onto the canvas with a meticulous drawing. Then, once she lays out the image on the fabric, the embroidery work starts. While Keller tries to stick with the original image, she does not restrict herself to matching it exactly, preferring to take a more liberated and expressive approach. 

Keller respects the tradition of embroidery and its techniques, but her own style is free-spirited stitches and she does not comply with the "old rules" of embroidery. The contemporary images drift towards the abstract and fold into
them the mediating medium - the photography. The resulting work is detached from the common context and asks to create a hybrid from the future - a combination of past technique with the realistic painting trend which demands its place in the contemporary art scene. 

www.avivkeller.com