rhea moras

For me, threads are not just materials; they are alive, they feel human.

Due to my naturally fidgety nature, I started playing with off-cuts and tiny pieces of fabric. This fidgeting, coupled with my tendency to overthink, led me to engage in a dialogue with the threads in various contexts. Through this intuitive, repetitive manipulation, I began to see how the threads reacted and evolved, revealing new aspects of myself and my perception of the world.

Being introduced to the craft of tattooing was like encountering a forgotten piece of myself, something that felt both natural and familiar despite its newness in my life. I picked up my tattoo needles and began poking on woven fabrics, which felt even more personal than my own skin, yet brought me closer to it in an unexpected way. At first, the repetitive poking did nothing to the fabric, but slowly, the threads let me in, allowing the marks to be made.

My practice is deeply influenced by themes of memory, experiences, trauma, nostalgia, and introspection. I also pull out threads from the warp and wefts of a woven fabric, a process which I call skeletonization. In an effort to maintain its original structure while taking a lot of the fabric away, the process is very intricate and meticulous. While I am immersed in these slow and intimate processes, I enter a zone of introspection, resulting in organic, fragmented self-portraits.

I believe in the importance of intuitive slow making, as it fosters a thoughtful and deliberate approach to creation, mirroring the slow and careful nature of personal growth and understanding.