De Buck Gallery Weaving Cool Trend of Crocheting Motifs

By Jill Brooke

Threading its way into contemporary art these days are reinventions and interpretations of crocheting and knitting which are hobbies that have been rediscovered during the pandemic. And one of the best stewards of mixing these trends into curated art is David De Buck who runs De Buck Gallery in New York. 

His booth at Untitled during Art Basel in Miami was catnip to a conga line of art lovers. Among the popular artists showcased at the gallerist’s booth was Zak Ové which caught our eye as well as others. No wonder the works were selling so briskly.  

As the Washington Post reported, crocheting’s “cool factor” is on the upswing as “hipsters helped the hobby shed its image of being the stuff of old ladies. During the pandemic, more people have picked up crafts such as quilting and knitting for comfort and to pass the time.” This trend also underscores how domesticity and a desire for art that reflects warmth and coziness have become more popular.

Ové, a British-Trinidadian artist whose works span “the African diaspora to the Caribbean,” has a way of exploring the interplay between old world mythologies and what he calls “potential futures.”

Ovés dollies, like others at Art Basel, had a three-dimensional quality with circular embroidery motifs. 

Ové likens the development of his compositions to a coral reef. The process builds organically, as he layers and adds found and collected doilies in radiating patterns, creating a balance between light and dark as well as a combination of textural values. The process is playful and rhythmic, resulting in colorful abstractions that carry the viewer’s eye around the works as though they were alive and moving.

De Buck Gallery routinely focuses on figurative painting and innovative fiber work. The gallery roster includes contemporary talents such as Devan Shimoyama, Tahnee Lonsdale, Stephen Towns, Hiba Schahbaz, Annan Affotey, Tina Williams Brewer, Gommaar Gilliams and of course, Zak Ové. In addition to its two successful solo shows this year, Devan Shiomyama’s Diamond and Zak Ové’s Canboulay, the gallery also staged numerous online exhibitions throughout the year.

Definitely worth checking out. 

Jill Brooke is a former CNN correspondent, Post columnist and editor-in-chief of Avenue and Travel Savvy magazine. She is an author and the editorial director of FPD and floral editor for aspire design and home magazine and contributor to Florists Review magazine.