limited edition of 8 tapestries

15% polyester, 30% cotton, 27 % wool, 10% acrylic, 10% silk, 8% lurex (gold metallic yarns)

Introduction to the artist: Astrid Engels
I travel a lot for my work.
I have visited countless museums all over the world, experienced innumerable cultures, and devoured hundreds of books full of myths and legends. I have been captivated by the allure of the past for as long as I can remember.
The temples of cultural heritage nourished my inspiration, and I consciously and subconsciously soaked up knowledge and experience from all over the world, later translating this into my own visual language in the studio, as an archaeologist in my own area of expertise.
The universal motor for this visual language is an invisible archive that has built up in my heart over the years, nurtured by the irresistible appeal of the holy and sacred places in this world, where numerous questions on religion, astronomy, technology and culture still stimulate and fire my imagination unrelentingly.
Africa, that bewitching continent with its magic and rituals, its medicine men and ancestor veneration, a paradise with breathtaking scenery and exotic creatures. The sacred forests of China and the rugged mountains of Vietnam, where colourful relics bear witness to a deep religious respect for nature. The giant burial mounds of the Celts and the delicate rock drawings in the dark depths of the cult caves of Europe. The mystical atmosphere of abandoned ruins in South America. The moonlit temples of Greece. And, of course, Egypt, where in their magical quest for immortality the high priests kept the Pharaohs and their dynasties captive under a veil of mysticism and mathematics.
All these places have invisible energy flows and force fields, which make the mysterious rituals, the cycle of the seasons and the rhythm of the stars almost tangible to those who are open to the experience. Each culture has its own gods and goddesses, all of whom form the basis for the many myths and legends in the world.
Memories, dreams, impressions, thoughts, emotions and all the other latent parts of my subconscious have merged together to form a spiritual databank that allows me to visualize another reality. When I paint I am like a shaman, an alchemist, making the invisible visible with the magic of the brush.
This gift turns my work into a privilege.
Astrid Engels