CALLE HENZEL, Noyers-sur-Serein (Drawing / Le Dessin #41) Ozio Edit, 2016 / 2024
Edition of 99 + 1 AP
Numbered
Accompanied by a Certificate of Authenticity
Hand knotted rug
Silk & Wool

Dessins de Croquis (2016–2024) by Calle Henzel translates a series of drawings and painterly studies into woven form, exploring the relationship between mark, surface, and structure. The collection takes its starting point in Henzel’s sketchbooks and studio studies, where gestural compositions and layered textures develop through an intuitive process of drawing, erasing, and reworking.

Across the series, the compositions retain the immediacy of the original sketches. Soft tonal gradients, blurred transitions, and areas of density and dissolution evoke charcoal, ink, and pigment applied directly onto paper or canvas. Rather than reproducing the drawings literally, the designs reinterpret these gestures through the language of textile — allowing woven structure, fiber, and scale to reshape the character of the original marks.

A defining element of the collection is the visible grid that underlies several compositions. This structural layer recalls the framework of drawing paper, architectural drafting, or the warp and weft of the loom itself. Within this ordered matrix, painterly forms appear to dissolve, expand, or gather into darker concentrations, creating a tension between precision and spontaneity.

Material nuance plays an essential role in the reading of the works. Subtle tonal shifts and layered textures allow the surfaces to change character depending on distance and light. From afar the compositions appear restrained and atmospheric; at closer range the woven structure and intricate detailing become more pronounced.

Developed over nearly a decade, Dessins de Croquis reflects Henzel’s ongoing exploration of how drawing can move beyond the page and into spatial form. By translating studio sketches into textile compositions, the collection situates the rug within a broader dialogue between drawing, architecture, and contemporary art — where surface, gesture, and material converge.

Image: Portrait of Calle Henzel. Courtesy the artist.