Can printmaking and weaving be used as tools to “unmake” waste? This is the central question in Sariah Park’s most recent body of work “Threadbare.”
“The concept of waste is man-made,” says Park. “Even the most damaged materials can be repurposed or reused to bring about something new.” Park made the works in this series by upcycling and repurposing dead stock and damaged printed textiles, and by printing with waste to create large-scale works on paper.
“The concept of waste is man made,” says Park. “Even the most damaged materials can be repurposed or reused to bring about something new.” Park made the works in this series by upcycling and repurposing dead stock and damaged printed textiles, and by printing with waste to create large-scale works on paper.
Raised in a family of artists and makers, Park learned drawing, painting, and weaving at an early age. It was her appreciation of art that led her to study textiles and fashion and Parsons School of Design in New York and Parsons Paris. While in Paris, Park apprenticed for Mahlia Kent, the weaving company famous for crating Chanel’s wovens. Park’s BFA thesis collection was bought by Barneys New York directly out of school.
Park’s work has been featured and sold around the world with select retailers like Neiman Marcus, Louis Boston, Creatures of Comfort, and has been featured in Hyperallergic, the Wall Street Journal, Women’s Wear Daily, Vogue, Elle, and Harper’s Bazaar. She is the recipient of a Pollock-Krasner Fellowship in 2019.
Today, Park is based in New York’s Hudson Valley, and her current research is focused on the development of sustainable printing methods for textiles and fine art practices. She has been teaching art and design at Parsons for the last 10 years.
Acknowledgements
The activities of the Delaware Valley Arts Alliance are made possible in part by a grant from the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew Cuomo and the New York State Legislature.
