The exhibition Estirar el fil at the Museu Terracota – Centre d’Interpretació de la Terrissa de la Galera is the second edition of the annual cycle Artista Anònima. This initiative seeks to highlight the artistic and artisanal work of elderly women in rural areas, a frequently invisible group, from a contemporary perspective.
The exhibition features the trousseaus of six women from the Terres de l’Ebre region: Angelita Badia, Marisa Cortiella, Teresa Mateu, Teresa Prades, Teresita Sancho, and Maria Cinta Subirats, originally from towns like Alcanar, La Sénia, Mas de Barberans, and Ulldecona. These pieces, such as sheets and tablecloths, were embroidered by hand or machine during an era when preparing household linens was both a tradition and a social obligation.
The trousseaus not only display initials and floral motifs but also the wishes and hopes for their future domestic life.
This legacy dialogues with the current creations of designers Carme Cabal, Anne-Cécile Espinach, and Nina Balmes. Their proposals fall under the practice of upcycling, advocating for the creative and sustainable reuse of fabrics and embroideries recovered from old trousseaus.
Furthermore, Anne-Cécile Espinach has designed a collective piece, a living canvas where the public can embroider silenced stories, identity, or territory. The exhibition is completed with a display of haute couture embroidery by Núria Malé and a selection of books on the art of embroidery from Editorial GG.
