The third iteration of 'EXCHANGES' is an artist lecture by Brigitta Varadi on her multimedia practice which interweaves art and craft, labour and heritage, personal healing and community building.
Varadi investigates themes of sustainability and cultural heritage through a combination of research, material experimentation and community workshops. Her work examines the everyday rituals of small, secluded communities — connecting us to the importance of traditions in an era of mass-production and global economies.
Since 1998, Varadi has been working with natural wool as a medium to study and connect with marginalised people, following her own trajectory as an immigrant who has moved continually across borders and cultures.
For ‘Matting, Felting, Bonding’, Varadi discusses the intimate and sensual experience of working with wool, and her work to pronounce invisible labours and value belittled traditions.
Following the lecture, Xiaowen Zhu leads a conversation with Brigitta Varadi to talk about her experiences of facilitating personal healing and community building through art.
Xiaowen and Brigitta were part of the Civitella Ranieri residency in central Italy, an international programme that brings together visual artists, writers, and composers in recognition of their accomplishments.
Brigitta Varadi is a Hungarian born artist who lives and works in Pine Plains, NY. She has exhibited at Katonah Museum, Spartanburg Art Museum, Burlington City Arts, Hunt Museum, Budapest Gallery, and Culturel Irlandais, among others. Varadi is a NYSCA/NYFA Artist Fellow in Interdisciplinary and a grant recipient from Arts Council of Ireland, Leitrim County Council, and Culture Ireland. She has been awarded residencies at MacDowell, the Museum of Arts and Design, New York Art Residency and Studios Foundation, The Marble House Project, LOCIS-European Cultural Program, and Leitrim Sculpture Centre, among others.