Tejidos marroquíes. Teresa Lanceta

In this exhibition the work of the artist along with carpets, clothing, bags, cushions and wall fabrics for the tents made by Moroccan women are displayed, which are kept in the collections of the Museu Etnològic de Barcelona, the Musée National des Arts d’Afrique et d’Océanie and the Musée de l’Homme de París, as well as some private collections. Other museums such as the Louvre, el Museu d’Arqueologia de Catalunya and the Musée National de Céramique de Sèvres have provided reference samples.

This collection of works represents four regions in Morocco: The Middle Atlas, High Atlas, the Anti-Atlas and the plain of Marrakech. The pieces, created by women according to tradition passed down from generation to generation, are put in dialogue with those produced by Teresa Lancet. The artist tries to keep to the format and colours in them, with the intention of preserving the Moroccan canon, hiding her personal style to the fullest.

The exhibition aims to evoke the memory of the domestic, through the wall, floor, window, hallway, the cabinet and table. The first room displays work that is closest to a contemporary style through the work of Lancet and her reinterpretation of Moroccan textile art. The windows open into the courtyard and allow the light to penetrate into interior of the Museum, where seven horizontal planes, arranged at different heights on a long stage, evoke the traditional view of the carpet. This object is fundamental in Morocco as it serves as a bed, fabric for the walls and blankets. Its amazing compositional freedom, the crisp and bright colours and the geometric and abstract motives have inspired artists such as Henri Matisse, Wassily Kandinsky, Paul Klee, Léopold Survage, Maria Helena Vieira da Silva and Jean Le Moal over the decades.

The second room is divided into two different spaces. In the first, the anteroom, the interior of a large glass cabinet is reproduced in which the walls and floor become showcases. In the second, the Study, the broad Moroccan textile art pieces are displayed on wooden bars for medium-sized pieces, or on racks located in the centre of the room for larger sized works.

Lanceta’s work in the exhibition space converses with the Moroccan fabrics on the acknowledgment of the work of thousands of women who give life to a technique and a tradition. As explained by the artist, she does not want to make versions of her work, but wants her pieces to act as mirrors to otherness.