She’s referring to a historically Black community that lived in an isolated hamlet along Alabama river, whose roots trace back as far as the early 19th-century cotton slave trade. Ferry services to and from the community were only restored in 2006, which meant that the small community of roughly 300 inhabitants lived in relative isolation for more than a hundred years.
But isolation is sometimes the bedfellow of creativity. The women of Gee’s Bend developed a tradition of quiltmaking which was passed down from mother to daughter. The quilts were then a departure from traditional quiltmaking. Gee’s Bend quilts were distinct, known for their “lively improvisations and geometric simplicity.” In 2003, 60 Bender quilts made from 1930 to 2000 were exhibited at the Whitney Museum. The New York Times called it some of the most “miraculous works of modern art America has ever produced.”
In a similar fashion, 36-year-old Ganse turned to quiltmaking during Manila’s strictest lockdowns. She begins with a sketch of the shapes, pinning down the colors and textures she wants to feature in her quilts. Afterwards, each of her quilts are painstakingly handsewn. Depending on the size of the quilt, it takes Ganse anywhere between two weeks to three months to complete a single quilt.
“It is a slow process that I really enjoy and don’t want to rush,” she says.
She’s referring to a historically Black community that lived in an isolated hamlet along Alabama river, whose roots trace back as far as the early 19th-century cotton slave trade. Ferry services to and from the community were only restored in 2006, which meant that the small community of roughly 300 inhabitants lived in relative isolation for more than a hundred years.
But isolation is sometimes the bedfellow of creativity. The women of Gee’s Bend developed a tradition of quiltmaking which was passed down from mother to daughter. The quilts were then a departure from traditional quiltmaking. Gee’s Bend quilts were distinct, known for their “lively improvisations and geometric simplicity.” In 2003, 60 Bender quilts made from 1930 to 2000 were exhibited at the Whitney Museum. The New York Times called it some of the most “miraculous works of modern art America has ever produced.”
In a similar fashion, 36-year-old Ganse turned to quiltmaking during Manila’s strictest lockdowns. She begins with a sketch of the shapes, pinning down the colors and textures she wants to feature in her quilts. Afterwards, each of her quilts are painstakingly handsewn. Depending on the size of the quilt, it takes Ganse anywhere between two weeks to three months to complete a single quilt.
“It is a slow process that I really enjoy and don’t want to rush,” she tells me.
Filipina-German Ganse has been living in Manila since 2008. She became muse and model of choice for many high fashion editorials and runways, walking for Tippi Ocampo, Jojie Lloren, and Rajo Laurel. She also frequently modeled for small, slow fashion labels like Rô, Eairth, Áraw, and Josanna. But before her life in Manila, Ganse was training to become a professional furrier.
“I studied fur design in Germany and worked with a couple of fur designers at the same time back in 2004 until 2007. I only stopped when I moved to Manila in 2008,” she recalls. “I started with small modeling jobs when I was a teenager. The fur company I worked for just asked me to model whenever there was an event or for their lookbooks and press releases.”
“Sometimes I buy secondhand clothes just because of the quality the fabric has, or the fabric is telling me something,” Ganse says. “I like how a textile becomes soft after many years of use and how the color changes. The DNA and story a piece of used clothing can tell is so interesting.”
The more contemporary fiber artists have embraced the possibilities offered by the slowness and tactility of textiles in art. In an article with the NY Times, textile artist Sophia Narrett had this to say about her work: “When an object is developed by human hands for hundreds of hours, it leaves a quality in the surface that can be sensed.”
Ganse’s latest work is called “Midnight Water City,” which is part of a six-woman group exhibit at Futur:st called “Dwell on Divinities” that opened on March 23. According to Futurist co-founder Samantha Nicole, the show highlights “the otherworldliness of women, non binary, and queer artists.”
“Midnight Water City” is a mix of linen, cotton, cupro, and silk. A row of green and blue triangles run along one side of the quilt as a black moon rises on their horizon. A dark blue ripple gradually increases from one side to the other.
Photos courtesy of
Kiko Escora
When I ask Ganse about what quilting has taught her, she tells me that it has been a lesson in enjoying the slowness, to see a quilt through without obsessing over the small details.
“[I’ve learned] that there is beauty in small imperfections. But to be honest, there is so much more I have to learn about myself,” she says. ●
“Half Light Of Dawn”
Linen, cotton, cupro, double gauze backing,
polyfiber wadding, sashiko thread
211cm x 211cm
2022
On display at The Drawing Room as part of group show “The hem of a long conversation” curated by Con Cabrera
Cover photography by Joseph Pascual
Creative direction by Nimu Muallam
Art drection by Levenspeil Sangalang
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