Vildana Killian, MA

Artist Statement

Motifs and patterns travel through time and regions through the practice of many traditional arts and crafts, and for the aware viewer may be traced back to the archetypes that connect us all. For many years I have been devoted to exploring these links as well as researching the underlying symbolism that today seems to have been forgotten. The unveiling of the connections through the use of natural materials is at the core of my artwork.

Inspired by Virginia Wolf’s essay, “A Room of One’s Own”, I have created a kind of sanctuary, not only for women artists, but artists in general – to heal the alienation that many of us feel in the modern world. The essentials in this sanctuary are the marriage chest and a mirror. The chest has multiple levels of meaning, the symbols carved on it are there for protection and the polished mirror above reflects the treasures within.

The construction of the chest is based on the vesica, the shape used to carve six formalised cypress trees, symbols of immortality. Other motifs are the bird, the iris flower and the snake –  all symbols of goddesses of love and fertility.

I aim to embody in my work the ancient Hermetic dictum “As above, so below”. The mind’s inner geometry is reflected in the hand’s carving as well as in the embroidery; the outer art guides the viewer to the heart’s treasures within.