Four Hundred and Eighty-Five French Knots, from French Knots for Trade project, 2014-2015

Gallery Purchase

For Jeana Eve Klein, embroidering French knots is a meditative undertaking. While her hands make them mechanically, her mind wanders freely. She notes, “The knots I make are absolutely, completely, entirely and only themselves and only about themselves. They are freed from the weight of imagery. Their existence is self-referential. I make them as a physical embodiment of my own questions about the value of making itself.”

Klein’s work visualizes the passing of time, and passing time during the pandemic has led to a resurgence in crafting and traditional homemaking tasks, from sewing and knitting to baking bread and planting Victory gardens. Her work also alludes to economics. “How is the value of an idea quantified? What really is the true value of a French knot?” For Klein, this particular work’s value, as reflected in the title, is $121.25, which can also be paid as a charitable donation for that amount in the artist’s name to Planned Parenthood. Anti-abortion advocates have long called for defunding Planned Parenthood, despite the organization’s primary role providing STI/STD testing and treatment, contraception, and cancer screening and prevention, often for the uninsured.