The Art of Upcycling

Striving for sustainability, Ipheno integrates upcycled fabrics into her artwork, transforming waste into stunning art pieces.

1. Briefly describe the work you do.

My work involves embroidering old parchment paper that has been punctured to serve as drawing guides. I also knit with wire. Through the use of these techniques, I give myself the freedom to create whatever comes to mind. Additionally, I incorporate my dance background when necessary to achieve the desired result.

2. What or who inspires your work and how has that influenced both your work and your identity as an artist?

My work is born from my innermost vision. I make a conscious effort to avoid being influenced by any great references in the art field, as I strive to protect my creative process from being influenced by amazing ideas that are not my own (laugh, here). Having said that, I introspect deeply to extract what comes from references I have encountered throughout my life. My upbringing has played a crucial role in shaping who I am and my approach towards work. Despite this effort, my closest references were my parents and Sigrid Nora’s work. My father showed me textiles, my mother drawings and inks, and Sigrid dance and light. The world's greatest I admire are Ohad Naharin, Jiri Kylián, and Louise Bourgeois. Brazilians I look up to are Nadia Taquary, Bispo do Rosario, and Tunga.

3. As you reflect on your artistic journey, could you describe the evolution of your identity as an artist and how it has exceeded your initial expectations?

When I was six, I created an embroidering community around my neighborhood. That was a seed, but, at that time I didn´t know how big it could be in my life. My art career officially began performing other´s dance works. Then, smoothly, I found a place for my own movement in those works, because contemporary dance was open enough to allow and absorb personal differences and contributions. Life passed, and I started to produce costumes for dance, theatre, and chorus shows. Around 2013 I decided to leave my stable place as a dancer in Caxias do Sul Dance Company. At that time, I thought I was finishing my art career. But people kept inviting me to work with costumes, and from that, I never lost connection with textiles. I also became to be invited to perform; I created my first authorial choreography. In 2019 I decided to dive again into my arts fields, but in a very exploratory and own way, so I spent 45 days studying at American Dance Festival-Duke University. My independent research, at that period, was to find where (in me) textile and movement art had its connections. This research took me off stage, in a migration straight to a hybrid language among dance, textile, and visual. Then the pandemic came, using purely the body as a form of expression was no longer an option. So, I focused on creating visual props using wire, paper, and textiles. The connections of those fields became stronger in my vocabulary so that in 2021 I received an award from Cultural State Government to take out of paper the Jardim de Roccas project, where I put under light my whole comprehension of art, working with collaborators as a photographer, light designer, dancer, musicians and so on! Jardim de Roccas was my second solo exhibition in an art gallery, it occurred in 2023, on 07. 7th at 7 PM in a very special place that metaphorizes this migration from black box to white cube. Nowadays, I'm working to find support to travel with it in Brazil.

4. How do you view the significance of your contribution to contemporary art in a world that is increasingly shaped by technology?

I´m completely analogical. Really! This is not a rejection of technology, but rather an expression of my personal style, which is typical of people born in the 1970s. Art is a powerful tool for reflecting on human actions and their impact on our existence. It serves the vital purpose of reminding us of our identity, including the history, ancestral knowledge, and culture that shape us. I believe that the significance of my work lies in capturing the essence of a population and time through the product it generates, even in the face of advancing technology. In other words, my practical is a means of preserving and representing the unique identity of a community, which remains unchanged over generations.

5. How do you see the future of your art and the art world evolving in the coming years?

It´s so difficult for me, to see the future…. I make mistakes when trying to predict destiny! (laughs again) In life, there are instances where it's better to simply let things be and not interfere. The same applies to my creative process as a whole, whether in dance or art. While I may come up with ideas, they tend to take on a life of their own and evolve independently. I will make an effort to answer your question. I hope that my passion for art never fades away and that I can continue to work on it until the end of my days. I also hope that my art becomes more and more meaningful to those who can see through it. Lastly, I believe that in the coming years, art will play an important role in addressing social issues such as aging, racial discrimination, and war.

6. Get inspired!

INSTAGRAM: @ipheno__