Healing from shadows is a book born of the collaboration between textile artist Lauren Januhowski and print artist Cha Gautier.
“Some say that one of the important roles of art lies in its relationship to the invisible, because it reveals it. […] This applies to Healing From Shadows, built around the details of Lauren Januhowski’s textile works. Thanks to the mastery of print artist Cha Gautier, Januhowski reveals the roots of the contemporary patriarchal structure and what underpins it. In this way, they succeed in telling the story of an experience specific to women, making it relevant and evident.
This invisible, which takes the form of grey figures and shapes, represents the imperceptible pressures, injunctions and weight that accompany the experience of femininity. The present collection of details, created by the artist in collaboration with Gautier, focuses on the significance of reversals in power dynamics: it presents the invisible, previously perceived as a potential threat, as a source of strength. This process involves neither submission nor conformity, but the pure and simple acceptance of opposition. The book argues that in this confrontational relationship, there is a possible revival of agentivity, as well as the emergence of healing potential. It is a true poem dedicated to the emancipation of self and community. ” Helena Schümmer-von Bothmer