Zalin, Karin

Originally from America, Karin Zalin lived in Paris from 1981 to 1995 and in Venice from 1998 until today. Zalin is autodidact; has followed no practical art education. She has been captivated by art since the age of five: experiencing it but also creating it herself. She therefore also spent a great deal of time during her childhood on museum visits, art books, literature and music. In Venice she spontaneously began embroidering on shawls and was encouraged by a friend to continue doing so. This led to a series of embroidered wall hangings in which she depicted vedutas of Venetian squares and buildings.

Her creative work takes place in the semi-darkness of a Venetian basement, dimly lit by a single light bulb. She works with waste materials from a textile workshop. From the several donated bags full of yarn and scraps of fabric, she fishes out suitable materials. Her living and working space in Venice regularly becomes inhabitable during the winter through high water and plagues of rats and mice. Then her embroidery comes to a halt. She is skin and bones, but a true survivor, so she is always able to overcome the harshest conditions.

Karin Zalin
1951 U.S.A. -