Gabriela Nicolae – Te cred (2025) | crochet work

Description

Gabriela Nicolae – Te cred (2025)

crochet work in acrylic and mohair yarn, with borders from yarn scraps, 53 x 25 cm

In Te cred (“I believe you”), Gabriela Nicolae brings her feminist practice into an intimate register. Known for works that engage with agency and structures of belief, the artist uses textile language to articulate a message that resonates both collectively and inwardly: the radical act of believing – especially in yourself.

Crocheted in acrylic and mohair yarn, the pale, slightly irregular letters emerge from a dense black ground. The softness of the fibers contrasts with the firmness of the statement, suggesting vulnerability and strength coexisting. In a cultural landscape where women’s voices have historically been questioned or dismissed, the phrase reads as affirmation, self-validation, and quiet resistance. The multicoloured borders, assembled from yarn scraps, frame the message with visible process and material memory. These edges – imperfect, layered, and unapologetically handmade – echo feminist craft traditions that reclaim domestic techniques as vehicles for critical expression. At once tender and assertive, Te cred transforms crochet into a site of empowerment. The work invites viewers to consider belief not only as something extended to others, but as something reclaimed within – stitched, repeated, and made durable through the labor of the hand.