Jana
For a long time now, the concentrated and passionate territory of female craft has been one of the few spheres of interest which ladies could be involved in as a socially acceptable and gender appropriate activity. And although today it may seem marginal, magazines oriented on fashion and needlework, which democratized and brought to the public forum a zone of women’s lives that had been private and isolated until that point, also contributed to the success of the women’s emancipation movement. The first specialized fashion magazine appeared at the end of the 18th century, but its boom began in the late 19th century and culminated in several waves in the following century. Jana Machatová’s most recent collection addresses the universe of women’s needlework intermediated through the German edition of the magazine Frauen-Fleiss from the early 20th century. Captivated by the aesthetics of Art Nouveau, a decadent figure with a narrative which this world evokes, is obvious even from her less recent works. Up to this point she did her research among “diligent women” composing their ideas of a sound and cozy home into thorough and precise stitches and endlessly patient motions of the needle—as if this almost obsessive precision and perseverance could create a better and safer world.
—Viera Kleinová