Johanna Flanagan is a contemporary Scottish textile artist and dancer based in Glasgow. Her work is primarily figurative, and with a particular focus on fundamental textile construction methods worked by hand.
“Untitled” is part of a series of textile sculptures exploring themes of grief, severance, belonging and connection. The piece was formed from raw sheep's wool and flax, which was then knotted, spun, felted and wrapped in layers over a period of months, reflecting the emotional and physical experience of the artist throughout the process.
Through the somatic experience of repetitive movement, the creation of the piece became a meditation. Form and character initially took shape without a conscious specific result in mind, the textile figure emerged intuitively as the fibres condensed. The resulting sculpture seems on the edge of familiarity, as if recognised from a dream, distant memory or story.