Comics craftivism: embroidery in contemporary Swedish feminist comics

Abstract

The aim of this article is to analyse contemporary feminist comics by the Swedish comics artists Åsa Grennvall/Schagerström, Lotta Sjöberg and Sara Granér in relation to the ongoing movement called craftivism, as defined by Betsy Greer and her fellow crafters. The article argues that embroidered feminist comics can be regarded as comics craftivism, since, although similar to drawings, they are all sewn by needle and thread, and often thematise topics connected to craftivism's ideas concerning 'raising consciousness, creating a better world stitch by stitch'. The comics artists use embroidered comics to create 'wider conversations about uncomfortable issues', e.g. feminist issues, such as being trapped in a violent relationship as in Schagerström's cover image for Svinet [The Swine], or the unequal sharing of household work in Sjöberg's sequential story in Det kan alltid bli värre. [It can always get worse]. The feminist, craftivist comics artists are engaged in the politics of the handmade -narrating through textiles. The content concerns political, environmental and gender issues. Comics craftivism contributes to the renewal of the comics medium, and while experimenting artistically with materials and techniques, practitioners thematise new ideas as well as new perspectives on lingering problems, often with irony and humour.

The Therapeutic Aspects of Embroidery in Art Therapy from the Perspective of Adolescent Girls in a Post-Hospitalization Boarding School

“…Embroidery has also been used to protest against hardship in marginalized communities and has played a role in more extroverted protests such as the suffragist movement. Throughout history, the ability of embroidery to convey powerful messages of protest has been a hallmark of the craft [ 109 , 110 ].…”

Penerapan Bordir Motif Bukang Marege dan Epaulettes pada Gaun Pengantin

“…Penggunaan epaulettes pada seragam militer digunakan untuk menunjukkan pangkat, karena memiliki nilai keindahan seiring berjalannya waktu penggunaan epaulettes tidak hanya pada seragam militer, namun juga pada busana dan tentunya sudah pengembangan dari epaulettes yang digunakan pada seragam militer. Penerapan epaulettes pada busana pengantin bisa digunakan pada orang yang memiliki bahu indah, agar lebih menekankan point of interest orang pada bahu pemakai (Nordenstam & Wictorin, 2021). Berbeda dengan penelitian sebelumnya yaitu penerapan kombinasi bordir dua dimensi dan air brush yang diterapkan pada busana pesta wanita menjadi pusat perhatian atau center of interest (Sa'aadah & Prihatina, 2020).…”