Mold, moss, fungus and rust are some of the natural forms that inspire the work of American artist Anna Betzebe, who works with swathes of huge fabrics and flokati (Greek shag pile) carpets to create organic-looking, disintegrating pieces which fall somewhere between painting and sculpture. Grinding paint pigments into the surfaces and ripping, burning and cutting the pieces, she slowly builds up textures and at the same time removes much of the fabric. The finished works have a real weight and presence to them - the penultimate picture below, whilst not great quality, gives a sense of their scale. Hanging them loosely from nails on gallery walls, Betzebe lets them sag and drape on the floor, enhancing the feeling the viewer could be enveloped by one of these primordial pieces.Its an interesting area, working on large scale fabrics like this, one also being explored by Niall McClelland the ever-prolific Sam Falls.
