LINKS: www.lizkueneke.com
@liz.kueneke

Description of Work:

This artwork honors Posidonia oceanica, an endangered seagrass in Ibiza, through traditional Spanish religious iconography. Hand-embroidered on a vintage handkerchief, it features a posidonia motif in the center, with a gold halo whose shape is based directly on the halo of the statue of the patron saint of sailors, which is inside the church of Sant Antoni de Portmany (Mare de Déu del Carme, Patrona dels Mariners). It reflects on loss, resilience, and Ibiza’s fading embroidery tradition. Using threads from an 85-year-old local woman, it fuses ecological and cultural heritage. The Latin phrase Spiritus Maris in Posidonia, which means „The Spirit of the Sea is in Posidonia“ imbues it with a reverence, highlighting the seagrass’s sacred role and the urgency of its protection. Posidonia oceanica is vital to Ibiza and the planet because it produces oxygen, captures carbon, supports marine biodiversity, protects coastlines, purifies water, and sustains one of the oldest living ecosystems on Earth. It is endangered due to rising sea temperatures, as well as physical damage from boats whose anchors tear up its ancient meadows. The posidonia meadow between Ibiza and Formentera is one of the largest and oldest living organisms on Earth, with parts of it estimated to be over 100,000 years old.

Since 2004, Liz has been using hand-embroidery as a tool for contemporary art. In recent years her work has focused more and more on water… both the importance of the earth’s bodies of water as well as the danger they are in environmentally. Born in Chicago, she received a dual degree in Fine Arts and French Literature in 1998 from Georgetown University, and a Master of Fine Arts degree from Claremont Graduate University (Los Angeles). She has lived in Spain since 2003, and in Ibiza since 2009.