Lessons From My Mother series
cotton and metallic floss embroidery on cotton fabric
(Image © Andrea Dezsö)
It is most unfair that one artist can be so talented across so many disciplines. Andrea Dezsö is a visual artist who works across a broad range of media which includes drawing, artist’s books, cut paper, embroidery, sculpture, site-specific installation, animation and large-scale public art.
I particularly like her ‘Lessons From My Mother’ series where the Transylvanian-born Dezsö has embroidered dozens of her mother’s superstitious sayings. Each of these small pieces includes neatly stitched diagrams and begins with the statement “My mother claimed that…” followed by such homilies as “my sister was a rubber accident.”
I think I should point out that I have only included the PG rated embroidered pieces in the series – there are some that made me gasp. Some of Dezsö’s Mum’s saying are pretty graphic – and certainly made me appreciate my fabulous Mum’s pragmatism and acceptance even more…
Lessons From My Mother series
cotton and metallic floss embroidery on cotton fabric
(Image © Andrea Dezsö)
Lessons From My Mother series
cotton and metallic floss embroidery on cotton fabric
(Image © Andrea Dezsö)
Lessons From My Mother series
cotton and metallic floss embroidery on cotton fabric
(Image © Andrea Dezsö)
Lessons From My Mother series
cotton and metallic floss embroidery on cotton fabric
(Image © Andrea Dezsö)
Lessons From My Mother series
cotton and metallic floss embroidery on cotton fabric
(Image © Andrea Dezsö)
Lessons From My Mother series
cotton and metallic floss embroidery on cotton fabric
(Image © Andrea Dezsö)
Lessons From My Mother series
cotton and metallic floss embroidery on cotton fabric
(Image © Andrea Dezsö)
Dezsö is represented by the Nancy Margolis Gallery in New York, Frey Norris Contemporary & Modern in San Francisco, and Pucker Gallery in Boston. If you’d like to check out the R rated versions of her ‘Lessons From My Mother ‘, or see some of other work, check out her website here.
These are great! Certainly reminded me of some of the stuff my gran and mum usedto say, although her mum does sound quite severe! We would just get a stiff neck and cold going outside with wet hair!:-)
A little more extreme than my Mum’s “Eating crusts makes your hair curly…”
Wow! I thought MY mother was weird! I’m a little concerned about the herpes one…
My thoughts exactly! My herpes has yet to manifest, but it does provide me something else to worry about…
I, of course, can never resist the R-rated variety. Thanks for the introduction of someone weirder but immensely more talented than my mother.
Weird can be good! I knew the R Rated would appeal to some… 🙂
How lucky to have clever and humorous sayings that your mother said. I love hearing those kinds of stories!
Great, aren’t they? I just love how Andrea has used them to create art.
Fantastic! Her mother is a hoot!
Isn’t she? The R-rated ones are even more spectacular!
So cute! You know what’s amazing is how these ‘sayings’ run across cultures..! I’ve heard of the forehead one through many Asian/Chinese friends, and the keeping Kidney warm one through my Bolivian friend..!
I think that just makes me love the idea even more!
I love these ‘old wives tales’, heard variations on the wet hair one growing up and my Dad used to always say that if we ate our carrots we would have good eyesight.
I always remember eating spinach would make me strong like Popeye. I hated spinach!
I loved them it’s just like the things my Grandma used to say to me
Hopefully, good memories, Crazy