Hand Stitching on aluminum, brass, glass beads
Nestled at the foot of the Vulcan Mountains in southern Romania, Racoți Village harbors a rich historical and cultural legacy. According to the Gorj County Geographic Dictionary (1892) and oral accounts from the artist’s family archives, this once-thriving community flourished through agriculture and livestock, preserving a strong cultural identity across generations. Yet, over time, the village fell into decline, its former vibrancy now fading into near-forgotten echoes of the past. At the heart of the exhibition lies a building that once served as the village school. Originally the ancestral home of Medar’s grandmother, the structure was repurposed into a school in 1858—a testament to his dedication as a teacher and his commitment to community education. Now uninhabited, this building stands in quiet solitude, alongside the many abandoned old houses of the village—a silent metaphor for its fate. Here, memory and endurance weave through the ebb of decay and the pulse of renewal, echoing the relentless passage of time and the quiet resilience of life.
In this context, handmade embroidery becomes Medar’s medium for exploring the complex relationship between materiality and memory. In Racoți Village, embroidery was far more than a decorative craft—it was a deeply personal and cultural practice embedded with stories, experiences, and intergenerational codes. Medar’s intricate stitches function as metaphors for historical reconstruction, weaving past and present into a shared fabric of meaning. Her practice reclaims what was once considered domestic labor or “women’s work,” elevating it into contemporary art and celebrating the role of women as cultural transmitters. The exhibition also touches on the collective experiences of women during World War II. As widowed women assumed full responsibility for managing farmland and raising children, they demonstrated extraordinary resilience and resourcefulness. This history of strength contrasts sharply with the present desolation of the village, revealing a tension between heroism and loss.
In an era of rapid globalization and urbanization, traditional cultures face existential threats. Medar’s work seeks to safeguard and reinterpret this history through personal memory, fostering cultural regeneration within a contemporary framework. The Wood of Your Window Has Been Blooming constructs an emotional archive, blending personal recollections with broader historical narratives. Through the innovative use of traditional embroidery combined with synthetic materials, Medar revitalizes the dialogue between heritage and contemporary culture. Her work bridges fading memories with the present, inviting audiences to reflect on identity, memory, and the fluidity of time, while encouraging them to consider their place within the ever-evolving social and historical landscape.
