Tendere

2021

Linen, thread

87 x 15 cm / 34 x 6 inches

 

The words “tension” and “tenderness” may appear to us as opposing forces, but both find root in the Latin tendere, meaning “to stretch.” In French, “to stretch” and “tender” are the same word: tendre. It can also mean to hold one’s hand out.

 

Both softness and the act of offering gentle attention, and something being pulled, stretched out, becoming taut, speak to reaching out beyond oneself, to an extension. In this piece, the words reach out to each other and meet in the center, at their root.

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Tendere was presented as part of Force Fields. Visit Force Fields here