Pierre Leon Gallery, Toronto.

February, 2024

Intervals of Thread and the Optics of Space is Sofia Escobar’s debut solo exhibition at a public art gallery in Canada. Merging traditional Peruvian textile techniques with modern technologies like laser cutting and digital etching, this body of work explores themes of visual languages, optical illusion, and architecture. Driven by a desire to explore innovative methods of crafting textile arts, Escobar attempts to create a unique visual language that invites viewers to reconsider their perception of textiles and their relationship with space.

Raised in Peru and Ecuador, Escobar’s upbringing serves as a catalyst for her practice. She strives to examine the distinct patterns and colours evident in Andean textiles and reproduce this imagery within her delicately crafted woven sculptural works. Considering the visual context of her practice as a frame unto which a linguistic input is projected, Escobar’s sculptures and pen and ink works are intended to be uniquely interpreted by each viewer. There is no overarching narrative of what one should “see” within the work. Instead, Escobar employs complex algorithms to lay out abstract grid patterns that evoke sensations of dizziness and possess the viewer’s attention.

Presenting a range of new and older works relating to the ideas engaged in this new series,

Intervals of Thread and the Optics of Space offers a comprehensive view of Escobar’s complex aesthetic vocabulary and deep connections to her Peruvian and Ecuadorian roots. Combining woven kinetic sculptures with intricate ink abstractions, Escobar’s body of work expands upon her desire to explore the human experience through traditional and modern methods of weaving textiles.