The ‘The Weaving of Oneself’, Gailer explores the creative power of women in crafting their own destinies, while also paying homage to the ancestral wisdom and spiritual beliefs of the indigenous people of Colombia. The portrait depicts the face of a young South American woman whose features are framed by her long, dark hair and the strands of richly coloured yarn that are draped between her upheld fingers. Holding a ball of yarn, and adorned with a delicate septum piercing, the young woman has an intensely focused gaze that seems to escape the confines of the canvas to penetrate the soul of the viewer.
The tones and texture of the yarn are echoed in the dotted patterns that adorn the woman’s chin and are inspired by the textiles crafted by the indigenous weavers of Colombia. The indigenous Colombians believe that they weave their thoughts into their textiles, thereby illustrating the inherent power and significance of weaving and its connection to the spiritual world. The intensity of the woman’s gaze is a testament to her strength, empowerment and capability to weave together the threads of her life and to forge her own destiny and identity.

This work embodies Gailer’s overarching aspiration to utilise her artistic practice to contribute to the ‘weaving’ or reconstruction of contemporary female identity and to consolidate female