Jaime Enachescu
Fibre
In my fibre practice I use traditional women’s crafts such as knitting, embroidery, crochet, weaving, and felting but bring in an unexpected element. By challenging the material used, the size of the object, or the subject, I challenge the viewers’ idea of the domestic arts.
Traditional fibre arts were practised mostly by women, the items created were used in the home. From comforters that keep us warm at night, to carpets for the floor and walls, to clothing and personal items like embroidered handkerchiefs. The designs were passed on from generation to generation, but every maker added a little personality to each object. Little thought was given to the artist who made the artworks and the craftsmanship and material intelligence that was needed to make these items.
The process of making art is central to my practice. The repetitive motion of weaving, knitting, and sewing becomes a physical meditation through which I explore my grief and loss. The memories are created by the rhythms of my hands and by sharing my art, I invite others in and start building new connections.
4. Crochet Dolls
Crochet Women is my personal response to contemporary conversations about body image and aging. In a world where social media continues to promote unrealistic standards of beauty, I wanted to create a space that celebrates the diversity, strength, and individuality of real women.
These figures are not young, nor conventionally perfect — they are mature, confident, and unapologetically themselves. They represent a beauty that is rooted not in flawlessness, but in experience, character, and self-confidence.
The use of crochet is deliberate. It evokes a sense of humor and nostalgia, traditionally associated with doilies and the comforting spaces of grandmothers' homes. Photo Credit: Mona Enachescu
1. Text in Textile
Text in Textile explores the connections between the written word and woven fibres. The words text and textile are connected through their Latin root word: texere, to weave.
Writers use words to tell a story, the meaning is created on how these words are arranged. Weavers use fibre to create cloth, they create a pattern by interlacing warp and weft threads in a particular sequence. Words are arranged in a dictionary and given meaning. Patterns are collected and written down in weaver catalogues. Both words and patterns form a language for the writer and the weaver.
Photo Credit: Mona Enachescu
This artwork is part of the collection at the Tisch Library, School of the Museum of Fine Arts at Tufts University, Boston, U.S.
2. Grief, Loss, and Remembrance
These woven portraits trace my personal journey through grief, loss, and memory. The warp, printed with photographs, holds the unchanging essence of those we have lost, while the weft — woven by my hands — reflects how our memories shift and transform over time. From raw pain to fading recollections, from sorrow to the warmth of remembrance, each piece captures the tension between permanence and change as time passes.
Photo Credit: Mona Enachescu
3. Legacy
Who am I? What have I inherited from those who came before me? How does my community shape who I am, and how do I shape it in return? Beyond these questions, I ask: What do I bring to the world?
Every choice we make leaves an imprint. Acts of kindness, care for nature, and connection to others become part of the legacy we leave behind.
Our story is not only what we inherit — it is what we create.
Photo Credit: Mona Enachescu
