Susanne Kramer: Textile Art with a Unique Approach

At ARTMUC 2024, textile artist Susanne Kramer will be presenting extraordinary works of art made from commercially available thread. Susanne Kramer lives and works in Bielefeld. Her many years of experience as a textile designer are evident in her art. She has been creating textile works of art with great passion for around five years. Her favorite medium is a simple thread and her drawing tool is the sewing machine.

Strong women are the central motif of the artworks

Susanne Kramer uses the thread to create both portraits and abstract works. She shapes it, gives it structure and creates surprising moments in the process. This creative process is what makes her work so appealing to her personally: how far can she go with the thread? What shapes are created? How does an everyday material become a unique work of art?

Strong women are a central motif in her works. The portraits are first sketched and then stitched out of thread on the sewing machine. The artworks are then washed so that only the thread is visible. The thread drawings are mounted at a distance from the back wall of the picture frame so that there is space between the white background and the outline of the thread. This creates an interesting effect of light and shadow. The artwork is given a second level. Depending on the daylight and the viewer's perspective, the motif changes slightly and appears more vivid.

Abstract images with a sculptural effect

In her abstract paintings, Susanne Kramer tries to shape the thread in such a way that the motifs appear three-dimensional. The yarn itself is flat, but the more she layers it in different layers, the more she forms it into a three-dimensional work of art. She experiments and allows herself to be surprised by how far the medium of thread can be stretched. She draws her inspiration for her abstract works primarily from nature. However, she emphasizes that it is not her aim to reproduce something true to nature. For her, the appeal lies more in abstracting natural motifs with the help of her thread. Here, too, she makes use of the effect of light, viewing angle and shadows. Susanne Kramer breathes life into her works of art through the interplay of thread, light and shadow.