Women's long-sleeve T-shirt - AMARAUNA

AMARAUNA means spider web in Basque. I was looking for a title for this new creation based on the figure from Basque mythology named MARI. She is the mother “goddess” of EVERYTHING (AMA means MOM in Basque). A happy coincidence!

After working on AMALUR (MOTHER EARTH), I very much wanted to explore the symbolism of this other entity, of which I knew little but which felt familiar to me.

There was also a desire to create a visual centered on the figure of women, who hold a central place in Basque society.

While the men left for long months to cross the oceans and hunt whales, the women managed the life of their homes, fields, and villages, weaving a protective web to sustain their families and the life of their land. This led to the sadly famous witchcraft trials.

MARI's disciples are the SORGINAK (the WITCHES), who celebrated her in caves during the AKELARRE.

According to legend, MARI lives in the hidden underground world, appearing as she emerges from a cave.

I chose to depict the form of the HARPEKO SAINDUA sanctuary (the cave of the sweating Saint) in Bidarray. At the back of this cavity, a particular anthropomorphic stalagmite fuels legends and personal interpretations.

If the mother of all things appears here, I filled my linework with small drawings that were both intuitive and oriented toward depicting elements and figures characteristic of Basque mythology and nature.

By duplicating my drawing several times, a baroque-looking cross, and therefore rather pagan in nature, emerged to create the central and main design.

And the spider web emerged as an obvious choice.

Perpetual renewal, a wonder of nature, a symbol of protective motherhood …

At the same time, I was immersing myself in personal readings about the work of Louise Bourgeois, and the unconscious did its work, causing this creation and this word to emerge—and I find it very beautiful!