SÉVERINE GALLARDO: INTERIOR ARCHITECTURE TAKES SHAPE IN TEXTILE

| by Susanna Cati |

Born in Angoulême, France, Séverine Gallardo belongs to that generation of artists who had to construct their own language almost in opposition to the academic training they received. She graduated from the School of Fine Arts in Marseille in 2000 andfound herself immersed in a context in which manual and material work occupied a marginal position, often overshadowed by more conceptual and immaterial practices. This environment, however, did not limit her path; on the contrary, it helped define a precise and conscious choice, oriented toward the rediscovery of gesture, matter, and making.

Alongside her artistic activity, in 2007 Gallardo cofounded, together with Franck Guyon, the publishing house Marguerite Waknine. Their collaboration stems from a shared passion for art and literature, a common ground that takes shape in a refined and coherent editorial project. In particular, Gallardo curates the series Le Cabinet de dessins, a project that moves across periods and disciplines to convey the complexity and richness of drawing, ranging from design to contemporary art and illustration. Her editorial vision reflects the same sensibility that animates her artistic work: attention to detail, openness to different languages, and a commitment to valuing practices.

The roots of her creative approach, however, lie in her childhood. It is through her grandmother that Gallardo comes into contact with traditional techniques of knitting and embroidery. More than a simple technical apprenticeship, this is a transmission of sensibility: the pleasure of making, the direct relationship with the material, the discovery of the possibilities inherent in a repeated gesture. “My grandmother’s influence left me with a love of working with my hands and an understanding of how every movement contains unexpected

possibilities.” It is precisely this experiential dimension that profoundly guides her research, making manual work not only a means of expression, but a form of knowledge. (…)

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