Berend Strik

Berend Strik embroiders photographs--some of which are found, some of which are taken by him--with thread, gauze and other materials, exploiting the consequent contrast between the soft gossamer textures of threads and the thematic and formal harshness of the photographic imagery. In this, his most substantial monograph to date, Strik adds writings to the interplay.

Known for his photographically-based embroidery, Berend Strik is a master weaver of harsh imagery and soft gossamer threads. From pornography, carnival clubs, and cloned sheep to same-sex marriage, newborn babies and love, Strik sews it all together. In addition to embroidery, he makes use of a variety of media, including photogrpahy, stained glass, video and architectonic installations. Strik's work consists of deviations, deformations and mutations; into a culture of generic sameness, he introduces genuine variations, deviations that resist immediate assimilation. Body Electric charts what at first glance may seem a bewilderingly multi-faceted work. Conceived in close collaboration with the artist, this book features a uniquely stitched cover.