Something of Substance

Kristina Page began saving and working with teabags somewhere near the start of the first lockdown. “It may be connected to taking on the role of part-time carer to my elderly mother.  Tea and the process of saving the bags between visits each week developed, almost like ticking off days. This ritual became important, the teabags were a way for her to take part and contribute. The fragility of the fabric echoed the fragile state of the situation.”

The texture of the teabags is like skin; the idea of skin being a protective layer holding one’s internal life in and separating inside from the outside. The introduction of ‘social distancing’ caused a sense of isolation; by sewing the bags together the desire for connection was explored as a damaging process; the teabags tore easily and so it became a slow and careful practice.

Items that are mass-produced, and with a short lifespan, hold a mirror up to our cultural existence. They reflect changing histories, cultures, how things are used, how often, where and for whom. Like storing data for a social map, this is part of a collection of work using items that are entirely created to be destroyed.

Kristina trained at Canterbury College of Art, gaining a BA in Fine Art. Following an interest in drawing dancers she went on to become a professional choreographer and performer, whilst continuing a drawing practice as a form of dance notation. She later did an MA in Art Psychotherapy followed by a diploma in Group Analysis. She currently has a studio at Thames-side studios and is a studio manager at Studio Upstairs. She is a recent recipient of a Pollack Krasner Foundation grant and is part of Leyden Gallery Platform for emerging artists.

www.kristinapage.com.