aag – AINO-ASTRID GAEDTKE

Born in Lübeck in 1967, Aino-Astrid Gaedtke fell in love with traditional folklore costumes as a child; she was particularly taken with the mixture of strong colors in combination with different patterns. The combination of geometric shapes and opulent flowers has always been the non-plus for her.

As she grew older, the focus shifted to hand-stitched embroidery, the mixture of soft fabrics and playful patterns, especially in women’s folklore clothing and costumes.

Aino-Astrid Gaedtke transfers this softness of patterns and fabrics to her pieces in an appreciative way. The main materials of her works are copper and enamel; by combining them with strong colors, expressive patterns and floral ornaments, her pieces visually achieve a kind of softness in metal.

The series “Viana Blue”, is Gaedtke’s interpretation and realization of the hand-stitched blue embroidery on folklore women’s blouses from the area of Viana do Castelo in the north of Portugal. As these blouses are often worn with red fringed scarves, her enameled pieces are sewn directly onto the garment using the red thread.