Zoeli Winters

My practice revolves around creating immersive and vibrant worlds. By using mythological motifs and playful imagery, I aim to create a ‘safe space,’ where more intimate and personal themes can be held and explored. My inspiration comes from a deeply personal place, often returning to self-portraiture, using my body as a vessel to carry the themes and feelings I want to convey. My work explores the relationships and space between people, the tension and the release.

I am interested in the primal instincts that have us longing for the land and the moon and the dark things in the night. That plane between human experience and the natural world is where my work exists. This is the place I believe everyone yearns for, a place free from societal restrictions, where complex emotions and vulnerabilities are allowed to exist and be transformed.

I work mostly with textiles, glass and ceramics, often finding myself returning to tapestry. With its long tradition in storytelling and its place in the domestic realm, the medium of tapestry gives my work a softness and tenderness that reflects its themes. My choice of materials reflects my ongoing interest in the boundary between craft and fine art, and the capacity these traditions have for carrying memory and stories.