Artist's Statement
Shannon Alonzo made Washerwoman in her grandmother’s house in Trinidad. The work is thus imbued with the intimacy of a matriarchal dialogue. Reflecting on the process, Alonzo shares:
‘Somehow the Washerwoman became an old friend through the creation process. I sat with her, setting clothes pegs and modelling the wax. I meditated on her story, which is not written down in any book, and hoped that it might reveal itself through the rhythm of my hands working with hers. I think of garments as a kind of time capsule: They literally soak up our blood, sweat and tears. They absorb our essence. Although the woman washes constantly, she cannot remove the remnants of the past, whether they are seen or unseen.
Washerwoman is the result of an attempt to get to know our ancestors through the work of our hands, which move silently and over time alongside them. Through them we catch a glimpse of the everyday moments of our ancestors' existence, so closely interwoven that they create our own reality.’
Theseustempel
Volksgarten, 1010 Vienna
Daily 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Free entry
