street art meets embroidery in PAINTSUCKS, alicja kozlowska's tactile graffiti series

paintsucks injects tactility to the urban art form

Alicja Kozlowska’s embroidered graffiti series, PAINTSUCKS, is an intriguing fusion of traditional craftsmanship and street art. In this unique form of artistic expression, embroidery, usually associated with delicate and decorative materials, is transferred to elements of the urban landscape.

Crafted from the art quilt technique, the fabric lettering sprawls across the walls of a grungy public toilet in a vibrant pink. By harnessing the features hidden in the medium that are impossible to achieve with ordinary paint, the artist experiments with the idea of tactile graffiti. The work’s three-dimensionality invites new perceptions of the two art forms, with playful patterns and textures alongside glistening beads injecting visual layers.

image by Maria Sadowska

Alicja Kozlowska sparks new perceptions of embroidery

PAINTSUCKS forms part of Alicja Kozlowska’s ongoing graffiti project, Banksy Who?, which, much like the rest of her work, seeks to popularize textile art and at the same time, transform the modern viewer’s appreciation of the needlework. The Poland-based artist fashions her graffiti from thick felt and various scraps from labels, newspapers, foils, and fabrics, covered with endless layers of embroidery.

Adopting this unexpected medium, Kozlowska unlocks an expression of creativity that pushes the boundaries of conventional thinking about street art and shows that even the oldest craft techniques can find new and surprising applications in the modern world. ‘Through my work, I want to show a different side of textiles. In my opinion, this field of art has great potential and can become a very contemporary artistic medium,’ she shares.

Alicja Kozlowska presents tactile graffiti series, PAINTSUCKS | image by Maria Sadowska

an intriguing fusion of traditional craftsmanship and street art | image by Alicja Kozlowska

embroidery, usually associated with delicacy, is fused with the urban landscape | image by Alicja Kozlowska

three-dimensionality and textures invites new perceptions of the two art forms | image by Alicja Kozlowska

part of the ongoing Banksy Who? project | image by Milena Jankowska

the artist seeks to popularize textile art | image by Alicja Kozlowska

unveiling new, surprising applications of traditional craft techniques | image by Alicja Kozlowska

project info:

name: Banksy who? — PAINTSUCKS
artist: Alicja Kozlowska

designboom has received this project from our DIY submissions feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.

edited by: ravail khan | designboom