I Apologise to My Grandmas for Not Finding a Fiancé at University;
The artist’s hands are never idle – they are always holding knitting needles to produce, create. This is not a pursuit driven by a desire to possess, but a way to calm down and de-stress, to ward off boredom and idleness. As a non-neurotypical individual, Dąbkowska finds solace in the tactile rhythm of knitting, occupying her hands while maintaining a sense of purpose. The making of each tapestry demands time and dedication, beginning with hours spent winding skeins and splicing threads, followed by the meditative labour of knitting itself: “I enter a trance, similar to what I felt years ago during Pompeian prayer, repeating Hail Marys on a rosary.” Knitting verges on compulsion – the artist carries her unfinished pieces with her, measuring time in rows, letting the habit become a socially acceptable addiction. It enables social engagement, subdues intrusive thoughts, and offers a means of coping through difficult periods. Time becomes more bearable. Dąbkowska comes from a long line of knitters. Her great-great-grandmother Weronika, a noblewoman who never had to work, crocheted to combat ennui. Marysia, another great-great-grandmother, worked the land and wove in the off-season – she never had time for boredom. In the countryside, handicraft traditions filled the long months from late autumn to early spring, when there was less work on the fields. Dąbkowska’s grandmother, raised in a rural household, learned all kinds of domestic labour, knitting included. After moving to the city, she would produce garments late at night after long days of work. The featured tapestries bear witness to a lineage of care and labour passed down through generations of women.
Presented art works:
- Annunciation with a Swan;
- Dykes, Go Back to Construction Sites;
- I Apologise to My Grandmas for Not Finding a Fiancé at University;
- There Were No Violets on My Pinterest Wedding Board;
- I Wanted to Be a Very Young Mother