Stacey Rozen describes herself as a story-threader, craftivist, and yarn graffiti artist. If your ears aren't yet pricked, perhaps the statement for her exhibition at Stokvel Gallery will: "A craftivist's love letter to humanity in response to weaponised games people play." You may remember her Garden of Yarns at The Wilds during Covid-19, where Rozen and fellow crafters comminicated via text only to crochet, knit, and embroider adornments that wrapped around trees in the park.
In a world that seems to trade on sensationalist news stories and where keyboard warriors run rampant, Rozen's chosen means of craftivism – or handcraft activism – is a fitting antidote. It's her wish that we resist polarising ideologies and focus on the true dichotomies of life and death instead – poignantly shown in nature's ebbs, flows, and patterns, such as the life cycles of flowers, all of which continue despite us. This is where the title for Rozen's immersive installation comes from, as her rallying cry is to "shoot blossoms, not bullets."
"By appealing to the fragility of our harmonious co-existence, [this exhibition] is a dire call for world peace," says the artist. She wants to "Untangle mangled heartstrings, mend and darn our brokenness, and restitch the knitting of us." An artistic offering that promises to be unusual, beautiful, heartening, and healing.
Dates to diarise
Visit Rozen's installation at Stokvel Gallery from Sun, Oct 6 – Sun, Oct 20. Open weekends from 10:00– 16:00. Email blossomsnotbullets@gmail.com to arrange a walkabout during the week (max 10 people).On Sun, Oct 13 Rozen hosts a craftivist's gathering from 14:00 – 17:00, open to all handcrafters. Follow her on @curioussleuth on Instagram for details.
