Alejandra Mizrahi (Argentina) embraces ancestral artisanal textile techniques through experimental approaches. Her research revolves around the construction of textiles based on teaching and learning devices such as antique manuals and the expertise of both master weavers and their dechados – fragments of fabrics in which women have historically showcased their virtuosity in various techniques of needlework. Her work alternates between collective and individual praxis, focusing on understanding textiles as epistemologies, aiming to recover and give visibility to underrepresented textile technologies.
In this residency, Alejandra will study and research the collection of 700 samplers at the Victoria & Albert Museum, which were originally made to preserve the memory of these techniques for future generations. She will activate these pieces by applying their knowledge in the making of new dechados (samplers).
Alejandra graduated in Arts from the National University of Tucumán and holds a PhD in Philosophy from the Autonomous University of Barcelona. She is currently a lecturer in the Fashion and Textile Design Program at the National University of Tucumán. Since 2012, she has worked with Randeras de El Cercado, a community of traditional weavers. In collaboration with curator Andrei Fernández, she also coordinates Textiles Semillas, a union of weavers, artists, and activists from northwestern Argentina as part of the 99 Questions Program of the Humboldt Forum. Alejandra’s work features in the permanent collections of the Modern Museum of Art, Buenos Aires; the Palais de Glace, Buenos Aires; the Castagnino MACRO, Rosario; and numerous Argentinian private collections. She is currently in the roster of de Sousa Galería, Buenos Aires.
Alejandra was born in Argentina and is currently based in Tucumán, Argentina.
With support from:
Colección Balanz
Artist’s website
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Please note all artist-in-residence biographies are accurate at the time of their residency. For up-to-date bios please visit the artist’s website.