Villa del Arte Galleries and Studio Claudy Jongstra present at Turkey's most important art fair Contemporary Istanbul. One of the highlights is Jongstra’s remarkable art piece with delicate embroidery by hand, entitled Blue Brother (1.45 x 1.90 m). The deep blue and black hues given to the felted sheep's wool of this artwork were created using the ancient dyeing technique known as Burgundian Black.
This process begins with layers of blue pigment derived from the woad plant, grown on Claudy Jongstra's farm De Kreake in Friesland. Before the arrival of indigo from Asia in the 15th century, woad was the primary source of lightfast blue pigment in Europe. The rich black tones are achieved by historical dyeing methods. This ancient knowledge, combined with modern sustainable practices at De Kreake, allows Studio Claudy Jongstra to authentically recreate the mysterious, lustrous Burgundian Blacks. The black hues are built upon the blue foundation created by of woad and indigo, reflecting centuries of traditional craftsmanship. In a collaboration with Odin biodynamic farm De Beersche Hoeve, Studio Claudy Jongstra is reintroducing the historic dye plant woad on an agricultural scale for the first time in 100 years.
For the work Golden Hour (190 x 285) Jongstra used ecological wool from Dutch indigenous Drenthe Heath sheep and Spanish merino sheep from Maria Pia Sanchez of Fedehesa in Extremadura region. There, this transhumant and ecological flock graze along historic seasonal migration paths forged by this breed over centuries across the countryside. The sheep’s beautiful, resilient and net-positive wool is a testament to the value of raising ecological wool.
The natural colours for the artwork are sourced from biodynamic farms in the Netherlands, Spain and Belgium. The regenerative farmers work on restoring soil fertility and increase biodiversity by championing biodynamic agricultural practices. For the tapestry the farmers cultivated Demeter-certified seeds for two flowering dye plants: Coreopsis and Sunflower. The colours these flowers produce -hand picked for Golden Hour - reflect the beauty of the agricultural and educational work and mission at the farms.
Contemporary Istanbul, Hall B1-14
Meet the artist Claudy Jongstra: 22 October, 3.30pm
Preview: 23 October
Open: 24- 27 October