MIXED MEDIA TEXTILE SCULPTURE – THE POPE’S HAT – ARTISTA COCO

On Seams, and What They Hide

I grew up in a small village in the Allgäu mountains, in a world shaped by tradition — a world I later had to swim free of, to find my own way of seeing.

My fabric figure series is a tribute to my grandmother. She rarely left her house. But I spent time with her as a child, and she taught me to sew — how to hide a seam so well it disappears. As an artist, I try to do the opposite: to make the invisible visible.

The woman I’ve become carries her own history — wounds you can’t always see from the outside, but they’re there. These open seams don’t erase themselves. Whether it’s good or bad to have them becomes almost beside the point, unless you’d rather surround yourself with people who have never been touched by any of it at all. Every crack seems to leave behind a kind of depth.

The Piece

The Pope’s Hat grew out of that thinking — a sculpture built, quite literally, from pieces of my own past. The base is a straw hat I wore during my time in Bali. The tip is cut from a piece of silk I used to wear during my studies in Paris — always on the days I felt most sensual, most alive in my own skin. Two very different chapters of a life, stitched into one form.

Materials & Craftsmanship

The sculpture is a multi-layered texture that tells stories from various eras and places at once — a deliberate play on contrast and touch:

• Bali Straw: The hat’s base — sun-worn material from a season of my life spent far from home
• Paris Silk: The hat’s tip — a fabric I once wore when I felt entirely myself
• Recycled Fabrics: Sustainably sourced textiles given a second, artistic life, in deep teal satin and metallic rose-gold
• Hand-Crocheted Elements: Vibrant pink and neon yellow segments, carrying a meditative, almost prayer-like rhythm
• Bavarian Heritage: A lace fragment from a traditional Dirndl — my grandmother’s hand in the seams — anchoring the piece in where I come from
• Lingerie Details: Turquoise straps and hardware, lending a note of vulnerability and intimacy
• Tactile Contrasts: Soft faux fur against sharp, red feathered accents
• Found Objects: Beads, pearls, and golden wire binding the composition together

The Spiritual Hunter

At the heart of the work is one of my signature animal figures — a guardian, not a predator. It stands as a bridge between the earthly and the spiritual, alert to what’s fleeting, and quietly aware of every seam that holds the piece together.

Details

• Medium: Mixed media textile sculpture (straw, silk, recycled fabrics, crochet, lace, lingerie, feathers, acrylic, found objects)
• Size: 38 × 38 × 45 cm
• Original, unique work

Rights
I retain all rights to this artwork, including reproduction rights. While conceptual approaches or specific material combinations may appear in future works, this original remains a one-of-a-kind piece.