Scars of Gold - Astrid Lindgren Collage Painting

Scars of gold: In 16th-century Japan, as Zen Buddhism became more widespread, a new aesthetic principle developed - wabi sabi. At the heart of this outlook is simplicity and an appreciation of imperfection: nothing remains, nothing is completed, and nothing is perfect. It is against this background that Kintsugi, a traditional Japanese method of repairing ceramics, was born. It involves gluing broken pieces together with a gold compound that highlights the flaw. The idea behind this is that all things are unique and a breakage is not the end. If the repair or healing is done artfully with much love and attention, a much stronger, new work of art can be created from what is broken and imperfect. I would like to take up this thought in my series "Resilience". The individual parts of the collage are therefore sewn together with gold thread. The new "patched together" personality is - precisely because of the experiences it has made - nobler and richer than before. Astrid Lindgren was a Swedish writer in the 19th century who is now one of the world's best-known authors of children's and young adult books. She always described her childhood with three other siblings as particularly happy. During her traineeship at the local newspaper agency, Astrid became pregnant at the age of 18 by her married supervisor. This was a scandal for the time. Astrid refused an abortion and left her hometown to live as a single mother - also a scandal. In order to support herself and her young son, who lived with a foster family, Astrid had to endure continuous hardships and long, very exhausting workdays, accompanied by great grief. Astrid nurtured her courage to face life in her stories. Astrid Lindgren lived her life with astonishing perseverance and confidently asserted herself against many common conventions. The numerous close friendships she cultivated for decades gave her strength and confidence during the dark days of her life.