Diedrick Brackens

Braeckens's primary artistic medium is tapestry, employing diverse textile knowledge, including West African and European weaving techniques, as well as quilting from the American South. His works are composed of several separate pieces that the artist stitches together, incorporating direct influences from the production of African textiles made by joining multiple strips. At the same time, he challenges the perfect rectangular shape of traditional tapestry.

In the works on display, Braeckens presents narratives centered on human forms, which occupy dreamlike spaces woven in color, exploring personal narratives and memories and reflecting on themes such as African-American and non-normative identity. The very use of cotton thread, the artist's primary material, reinforces the connection with the history of violence against the enslaved Black population who worked in the cotton fields, one of the main monocultures in the United States.

Carolina Grippa