My name is Vera Zhotkevich Gutman (Vera Z. Gutman)

I am a felt-maker and a textile artist, living in Sweden and work with material from the nature. In my art I like to shape and arrange the feeling and experience that I find in the barren Nordic nature, its harsh beauty and the affluence of impressions that you get from it. I would like to make it possible to wrap oneself in a stone or a tree and feel the safety and security in a warm embrace even when feeling lonely.

The Scandinavian epos and lore that have been my inspiration for a long time felts together in a natural way with textile techniques from all over the world as an inspiration for a new story and maybe also a new possible interpretation of the material and form and its means and meaning.

I make things for everyday use with a little fairy-tale within every product and I love to convey the feeling of being well grounded, roots to keep tight to what is loved most – the feelings that you get when being embraced by natures deep and beauty. In my felt-art I mostly use wool from Swedish sheep and alpacas, but I also use other kinds of wool from controlled origin.

If I use fabric for nunofelting I choose primarily reused/redeployed fabric. I dye the textile either with biodegradable acid-dyes or with plants from my own garden and surroundings. I make a slow dying according to time and let the natural processes take the time needed. I believe in create things in a slow way with an idea and a feeling that they will stay put for a long time and carry on a story within from one generation to another.

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EXHIBITIONS

Here you can take part in the exhibitions and events that VeraZ has taken part in, either as an individual designer or artist or as a company.

CONCEPT

Learn about VeraZ’s attitude to art, the environment, materials and our philosophy and values.

CV

Something happens every day. Everything that happens to us turns into experience. Take a look at Vera’s CV and see if any of her previous skills are needed to complete your ideas and projects.

Testimonials