Chilean textile artist Andrea Barrios Aguilar is a modern-day alchemist. Instead of transforming base metals into gold, she slashes, folds and layers her materials to unleash energy and highlight the dynamic possibilities of textiles.
Fabric, thread and paper are Andrea’s materials of choice. But her computer is also a crucial design tool, enabling her to meticulously plan patterns and layers that interact with light to create shadows and volume.
How people interact with her work is of real importance too. Andrea encourages people to explore different perspectives and to appreciate the playful qualities in her work.
Her approach is the fruition of years of self-study. She draws on a wealth of influences and interests from her early years and adds to her ongoing research into colour, drawing, printmaking, digital design, weaving and textiles.
Andrea Barrios Aguilar: My work is delicate, intricate, meticulous and at the same time colourful and playful. It arises from the contemplation of textiles – their versatility and the way they can be moulded and shaped.
I’m fascinated by what you can do with chromatic and kinetic experimentation – working with colour and light and the sense of movement and energy that can be created. Geometry and the interaction of colours have always been the focus of my artistic exploration.
My intention is to create work which invites the viewer to play and discover. For example, realising that the appearance of the image changes depending on the viewpoint. When the viewer walks around the work they can appreciate the changing chromatic interaction.
Or perhaps discovering that all is not what it seems. When people see my work for the first time, they are often surprised that the medium is textiles. People think that artworks using textile slashing are made with paper or some kind of cardboard, rather than textiles.
The uncertainty about what they are looking at means the viewer is encouraged to take a closer look and thereby discover the different techniques and elements that make up the artwork.
“Every work presents a new opportunity to play with the possibilities of materials.”
Andrea Barrios Aguilar, Textile artist
Inviting play
Around the time I started working as a textile artist, I discovered the work of Carlos Cruz Diez, a Venezuelan artist known for his exploration of the interaction of colours and light in different materials and at different scales – including large public installations.
His work introduced me to the concept of participatory work. This is where an artwork needs to be seen from different perspectives in order to be understood in its totality. Every artwork is an invitation to play, to move around the piece and discover a universe of colour and geometry.
By playing with paint over different layers and materials, Carlos creates pieces where the image changes as you look at it. He inspired me to explore bringing the same concept to the world of fabrics, and then to threads and other materials.
Intuitive colour
I have developed a particular way of working with colours. I’m often asked who taught me about colour but the truth is that I have never taken a class. I mostly work with colour intuitively.
Thanks to my art history studies, I’ve collected a lot of visual information over the years. This, combined with my personal sensibility and all the colour inspiration that life and nature offer us, shapes the way I approach colour.
I study and research a lot. I love to refer to sources of art, design, graphic design, architecture, photography and colour theory in books and online. It’s important for me to do this. It helps me refresh my ideas, decide on a particular colour combination, resolve a composition or simply as a way to continue learning.
“It’s not that I ignore the chromatic circle or colour theory, rather I integrate that knowledge with my feelings, observations and experiences.”
Andrea Barrios Aguilar, Textile artist
One of the hardest parts of the creative process is being confident about your chosen palette for a project. I’ve found that after years of practice, the approach becomes more fluid and intuitive.
It’s as if I’m having a silent conversation with the colours.
Nowadays, I trust my approach to colour and this means I feel so much freer with the colour design process.
Choosing colour
I don’t have a typical palette. I love colours that are fluorescent, like green, magenta or orange, but I don’t use them in every piece.
I pay particular attention to how colours combine. Sometimes despite spending a lot of time choosing the final colour for a project, I realise that the colour I need is nothing like the one I was looking for.
The materials also change. Some of the fabrics or threads go out of stock, or I might have a small piece of fabric with a particular colour that I can only use in a couple of pieces. Sometimes I never find the right colour or tone that I was planning to use so I have to modify the design a little bit – and sometimes a lot.
“My colour palette is connected with the subject or the mood that I’m in, and the materials I have available.”
Andrea Barrios Aguilar, Textile artist
Discovering nature
I love to walk and as I’m wandering around the city I’m inspired by the colours of so many elements: architecture, graphic design, flowers and people. The landscape has also become an important source of inspiration.
I grew up in the countryside near the city but for many years I’ve been living in an apartment that, although very old and beautiful, has no balcony. During the pandemic lockdowns, I began to miss the countryside and the joy of travelling too.
I started walking to a nearby hill a couple of times a week. From the top, on days when the air and the sky are clean and clear, you can see a whole range of mountains surrounding the city – the Andes. I realised I wanted to have more landscapes and mountain views in my life. My work has become the perfect place to embrace that.
Light landscapes
First I made a series of drawings using parallel lines horizontally to recreate the view of a landscape from the window of a moving vehicle. Then I made another series in which I used recycled materials.
I am still exploring the representation of a landscape, while at the same time introducing light as a new element to the composition. My dioramas are made with waste textiles and then mounted over a lightbox. My idea is to bring an image of a landscape to life like at sunset or dawn.
I work over a light table creating the different layers of the diorama using pieces of silk, polyester, rayon, tulle and other recycled fabrics.
When the work is mounted with the light box behind, you see a bright, colourful and three-dimensional image of a landscape. The photograph of Diorama of a Landscape #8 shows how the piece looks depending on whether the light is on or off.
I have wanted to do something with light for a long time. These projects have been the perfect way to approach this – and it is just the beginning. My idea is also to incorporate light in the work with textile slashing.
I like to work on multiple projects at the same time so right now I’m dividing my days between my landscape series Dioramas of a Landscape and a new series of embroidery over paper in layers called Geometric Apparitions.
Creating digitally
Due to the delicacy of the materials I use and the precision required for the techniques I’ve developed, I like to plan as much as possible. Whether I’m working with fabric or embroidery on paper I create a detailed digital design.
This is essential for my process. In some cases – mostly with the embroideries – the time it takes me to work on the digital design is longer than the time it takes me to create the work itself.
Before I begin an artwork, I want to know the colours I will use and the exact place for every cut or perforation. I don’t want to end up with lots of holes in the wrong place.
I usually work alone in my studio and my phone is always on silent. This means I can focus on the process without distractions. Regardless of whether it’s fabric or paper and thread, my laptop is always on my desk displaying the image I’m working on.
Feeling colours
When I’m planning a piece, I’m considering the type of fabric, the colour, the light, the shadows of the folds and how all of these interact with each other.
I use digital design to help select the different colours for each project. I have a file that shows the colours of the fabrics that I have in my studio. This makes the design process more precise – even when there is a difference between the colours in the digital image and that of the actual fabric.
When working with fabric, I plan each piece as a chromatically fluid body, creating a structure of overlaid parts. When I’m working on the computer or with thread, every couple of minutes I do a little exercise where I squint my eyes a little. This helps me see the effect I’m looking for.
“I’m always thinking about the colour sensation I want from the final artwork.”
Andrea Barrios Aguilar, Textile artist
Cutting & folding
After completing the graphic design, I have my computer on one side and mark the fabric using a thin chalk pen. Then I start cutting and folding (and ironing) areas until the whole project is finished.
Sometimes I piece elements together on the same layer, or I might create a kind of collage sewn and interspersed with cuts and folds illustrating concepts of colour, light, movement and time.
I use a wide range of fabrics. It’s crucial, however, that all the fabrics in a project have the same – or very similar – composition or percentage of cotton or acrylic. This is because they will be ironed together at the same temperature and I want to avoid scorching any layers.
The thickness of each fabric layer is also important. The more layers a work has, the thinner the fabrics used should be. I place the thickest fabric last to form the base of the project. This is because if all the layers in one ‘fold’ are too thick it will be difficult to iron and keep the shape.
Depending on the work, I might mount the piece on a board and frame it with a mat, taking into account the height of the composition. Alternatively, I mount the artwork on a wooden frame.
Stitching paper
Embroidery on paper has allowed me to expand the possibilities of representation as I use the thread as a line or vector in space. Thread has similar irregularities as a line drawn in ink.
The interplay of repeated patterns and overlapping layers interacts with light, shadow and volume highlighting the dynamic possibilities of textiles as a material and an artistic medium.
I design every embroidery on the computer. Once I have the final image, I put the computer aside and start drawing on the paper. After finishing the image, I make the perforations using a home-made tool. I’ve replaced the end of a typical gouge tool with a needle or pin so the holes will be as tiny as the needle I’m using for the project.
Once I’m finished with the perforations, I erase and clean the paper. Then I start the embroidery. The image displayed on the screen is my guide. I use an extensive range of threads, from silk to polyester, and also a variety of thicknesses. If I’m not sure about a colour, I will carefully do a little test in an area and then continue working.
“Every fibre has a particular brightness and interacts differently, not only with the light that surrounds the work but with other fibres.”
Andrea Barrios Aguilar, Textile artist
Testing experiments
Developing my creative process has had its challenges. I grouped my first series of textile slashing works under the title Chromatic Textures. They are characterised by a free and organic line. The use of colour was more cautious with a limited palette.
My technique was also imprecise in the beginning. The parallel seams that I used to join the layers of fabrics were vertical and the cuts that were placed right in between the seam lines were rougher and less precise. I also used to sew many lines over the piece to hold the folds in place.
My process evolved and I started designing more abstract works with a cleaner image, specific geometric shapes and with the layers mounted in precise positions. By then I had begun using the computer to make all my designs.
I realised that I had to make some drastic changes to my process, from how I was holding and sewing all the layers together (to come up with a way to stop the fabrics moving when I’m machine stitching), to the places where I make the cuts.
“After much testing and experimenting, finally I achieved the right process to create the kind of work that I envisaged.”
Andrea Barrios Aguilar, Textile artist
I realised that in order to create the chromatic variation effect that I was looking for, it was better to make the seams and cuts diagonally rather than vertically. The way I keep the shape of the fold has also changed.
Every step of the process experienced some kind of modification, but I’m still following the same steps today. Although new obstacles have arisen as I’ve started working on bigger pieces, as I’ve worked out each process I’ve been able to resolve any problem – or so far at least.
Favourite tools
I used to work with typical small metal scissors but now my best friends are Fiskars scissors. I love them and recommend them to everybody. They are a different shape with a very long and sharp edge which is extremely helpful when you want a precise cut.
It takes time to use them without making mistakes. Because they are razor sharp they can catch on the fabrics behind when you are cutting through a layer. But it’s worth it. When I used regular scissors, my hands would be in quite a bit of pain after a couple of hours. Now I can work on a slashing piece the whole day without any problem.
Art business
Exhibiting, promoting and selling my work was hard at the beginning.
I didn’t have any background or formal study in visual arts. I had just taken a couple of basic elective courses when I was studying art theory. Therefore, when I was starting out I didn’t have the confidence in my artistic exploration that I have today.
Although there are many positives to being self-taught, you don’t have the connections that you might normally make at college. Establishing artistic ties and finding a place in those circles is more difficult. The art market in Chile is still small and, in some areas, precarious.
The appreciation and interest that people have in textile art has drastically changed in the last ten years. Textile art has broken into the sphere of contemporary art and is no longer seen as just another craft. The high quality of the work and the diversity of techniques have established it as another artistic discipline akin to drawing or painting. Contemporary textile art has much potential and a lot to say.
Creative stimulation
Everything is connected. I grew up surrounded by creative stimulation. My grandfather, who was a tailor, introduced me to working with textiles and the tools of the trade.
My father was an engineer. From him, I inherited a love of geometry, accuracy at work and its processes. I was always helping him, whether drawing, taking pictures or painting his structural plans of houses and offices.
My mother passed on her chromatic intuition and her skills in drawing, painting and using a sewing machine. My sister was also very creative and involved in different crafts making things. We used to sew together.
After I finished my major in Art History, I studied architecture for a year and the concept of cuts and folds came from work I did on that course.
All these elements influenced my early interest in art and design and have guided my exploration of contemporary textile art through self-study. Although I work mainly with fabrics and thread, my research and development of processes related to textiles have led me to explore other media like painting, drawing, photography and digital design.
I am inspired by many artists, designers and even architects. As well as Cruz Diez, I really connect with the work of Mark Rothko, Georgia O’Keeffe, Hilma af Klint, Agnes Martin, Carmen Herrera, Matilde Perez, Carmen Piemonte, Ellsworth Kelly and Lázló Moholy-Nagy.
I also really appreciate all the work and contributions that Gunta Stölzl, Sheila Hicks, Paulina Brugnoli, Anni and Joseph Albers have made in the areas of design, weaving and colour theory. My inspiration comes from all of them and so many more too.
Stitching therapy
When I started working with textiles, I was going through a difficult time personally. I was young and had recently lost both my parents, and my brothers were living abroad. It was a lonely and difficult time. I started connecting with fabrics, threads and paper as a way of expressing my emotions. Over time I established a daily practice.
In the end, that challenging time was the beginning. Even when I felt insecure because I didn’t have the ‘right’ background, I embraced what I had learned from my family and heritage and just jumped right in.
“I realised that I had found my passion for living, a way of connecting with myself and a form of meditation.”
Andrea Barrios Aguilar, Textile artist
Paper embroidery
I discovered embroidery on paper quite unexpectedly – and it too arose from challenging times. I was in Madrid visiting my brother Nico who was getting married. I had received some upsetting news but I didn’t want my sadness to spoil the celebrations.
I had a small notebook with very thick white paper but nothing to draw with. I asked Nico if he had anything I could use. After some searching, he produced a bunch of Letraset transfers and a basic sewing kit with a few dull colours.
I stayed awake that night looking at these materials: the white paper, the needle and threads, and the Letraset transfers. The first embroideries I did on paper were figurative with a limited palette of just black, red, and light blue. They were deeply sad and raw, expressing all that I was feeling – and I felt like screaming.
I quickly discovered that embroidery on paper was a way I could express my emotions in a really personal way: it was paper yet textiles. The introduction to Letraset was a bonus and I continued working with them for several years.
Working methods
I live and work in one place. My apartment looks and feels more like a studio, with materials everywhere. The largest room is where I have the principal work area, but I tend to take over the dining table, the kitchen and even the small bathroom. And if I’m working for an exhibition or an art fair, you will probably find artwork and materials even on the piano.
I find it helpful to work on multiple projects at the same time. So, if something is not working I just move to another piece of work and do something different. It helps keep me connected with my creative process and moving forward. If I’m feeling all thumbs I switch my focus to working on the computer.
“I think working on different projects at the same time helps keep your practice going.”
Andrea Barrios Aguilar, Textile artist
Working on multiple projects is also helpful when I make a mistake. Sometimes I might have to start all over again, so having something else on the go reduces my frustration and makes it easier to keep going.
There are occasionally days when my head is in another place and despite my best efforts, it is impossible to focus on any of the more complex projects. Then I like to experiment, for example, playing with different recycled materials that I’ve collected over the years. The Diorama of a Landscape series is the result of one of these ‘experimentation’ days.
Sometimes, however, I just have to give myself some distance from a piece, perhaps I need to find a solution for a problem or maybe change a colour that isn’t working. That can mean leaving it for days or going to do something different.
Other times I just stand in front of my desk and just look. I analyse the piece that I’m working on from a distance and the solution can come in a matter of minutes. I do this exercise also to help me decide when an artwork is actually finished.
Developing processes
My work has changed in so many ways over the years. Through the years I’ve been dancing with different themes: from geometry to landscapes, social movement, heritage and the city.
From a technical perspective, the cut I use in the slashing technique has become more precise and the length of the fold is a little longer. I now use more layers in a project and the designs are more intricate.
My embroidery on paper has also changed. From working and stitching on a single layer, today I design three-dimensional works. I have developed a system that allows me to create embroidery works made on different layers that I assemble to create a single final piece.
Working digitally allows me to create more detailed compositions, while at the same time making selecting a colour palette faster and more precise.
My approach to colour and design is going through continuous transformation. Now I feel more confident about my style and the palette I choose for each project. And with the incorporation of light into the process, I feel I’m entering a new and different stage. I have so many ideas.
“Using a computer as my main design tool has made my practice much more efficient.”
Andrea Barrios Aguilar, Textile artist
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