Denise Weber - Textile Artist
I am a weaver and embroiderer from Argentina. My work is rooted in traditional techniques and explores how textiles carry memory and cultural stories.
I believe handwork is of great importance in this modern world:
there’s always a physical memory of the time spent in the making, and choosing to work by hand is an active way of being present and value tradition.
DISCOVERING TEXTILES
My interest in textiles and their traditional techniques was first brought to me by handmade bags called yicas, made from the chaguar plant in northern Argentina. I was young and fascinated mostly by their beauty and scent. But over time, I came to understand that these textiles are deeply connected to the land and hold cultural identity that persist despite colonial histories.
Traditional textiles carry stories, and this is the main reason I am drawn to these crafts.
In my early 20s, my grandmother gifted me her collection of old threads. I began experimenting with hand embroidery on my own and on friends’ clothes, and soon started working on commissions, collaborations, and teaching workshops.
I also studied with artisans in Argentina, including courses in natural dyeing, botanical illustration, and basketry, which led me to discover loom weaving, a technique that resonated with me from the very beginning.
CURRENT PRACTICE
At the traditional heddle loom, I work with raw wool from Latin American origins, letting the irregular, hand-processed fibers guide the form and surface of each piece. I create minimal designs that reflect both the landscapes the wool comes from and the traces left by my hands in their making.
All woven shawls, embroidered garments, and items I design are crafted slowly and with intention in my home, in Berlin.
2024
MAPA TEXTIL residency
created by Natalia Codega & Milagros Colodrero
Apulaya Andesmanta - Centro de Estudios Andinos
ALQA - Museo de Arte Popular Andino
Comunidad de Accha Alta - Familias Layme y Mendoza
Warmis de Kacllaracay
Since leaving my continent, I have worked to maintain a connection with the Andean cosmovision. In 2024, I took part in the itinerant textile residency Mapa Textil in Valle Sagrado de los Incas, Cusco, Peru.
Through a combination of seminars, workshops, and exchanges with master weavers from various communities, I was introduced to ancestral weaving techniques, Anden textile semiotics, Pre-Columbian textile arts, and the relationship between textiles, agriculture, and the festive calendar.
The residency was a deeply reflective and collaborative experience, weaving connections not only through threads but also across cultures, landscapes, and personal stories.
2025 -ongoing
SPORE INITIATIVE
Collaborative Practices Among Textiles
Program coordinated by Georgina Espasa, focused on collaborative textile projects and translocal exchange.
Motto: Women, Health & Justice.
Exhibition: The Garden or Care