NeSpoon continues to embellish the sides of residential complexes and facades of historic buildings around the world with her striking murals. Taking the deceptively simple concept of lace and translating it to an architectonic scale, the artist adds a striking element of whimsy and a nod to craft that peek out around city corners.
As far as we can tell, lace has been around since at least the early 16th century, and it may have originated in Venice. Over the centuries, as the practice evolved and its popularity grew, so did its styles and the techniques used to create it. There’s bobbin lace, which involves fiber attached to small bobbins, which are used to braid or twist the thread into a delicate fabric. And then there’s needlelace, which evolved from a number of other kinds of stitched techniques.
NeSpoon uses paint and the power of contrast to create large-scale lace patterns in a celebration of the craft. Often symmetrical, they appear framed by the outlines of corners and roofs, while windows and doors emphasize the murals’ scale. From a distance, the patterns appear flawless, as if they could be printed. Up close, it’s clear the lines are sprayed and brushed by hand, emphasizing the handmade.
Among several art festivals this year, NeSpoon is headed to Valence, France, in May to transform several connected buildings across three blocks. And she is among 100 artists invited to create a work for the reopening of the Pergamonmuseum in Berlin to mark the reopening of the institution in 2027 after an extended renovation. “It means a lot to me, as the Pergamonmuseum was the first museum I ever visited as a child,” the artist says.
See more on NeSpoon’s Instagram and YouTube channel. You may also enjoy the ancient art of kumihomo, a traditional Japanese braiding technique that uses bobbins.
