Liss Febrero and aloT of Poetry’s latest work, The Power She Holds, is a collaboration that explores the connection between women, their heritage, and the bonding power of handcrafts. A tapestry featuring fabric illustrations and stitchwork, the project was also both artists’ first foray into textile art.
“We wanted to create a series of poetry and illustrations that are connected,” says aloT of Poetry. “That's when I told Liss that I was thinking, what if we took both of our practises and put them into something that neither of us has done before?”
Febrero, who practices digital and mural artwork, and aloT of Poetry found common ground as artists and new Canadians who both coincidentally moved here about 10 years ago. This kinship allowed them to blossom into strong creative partners. The two first collaborated when aloT of Poetry commissioned Febrero to illustrate the cover of her poetry book, A Lot of People, after Febrero’s artwork caught her eye when both of them participated in the RBC Emerging Visual Artists program at Werklund Centre.
“One of the things that I really connected to with Liss’ work was the idea of womanhood –– what womanhood looks like,” says aloT of Poetry. “The figures are women-esque…They don't have very specific faces; they have very general body shapes, but they're so beautiful and ethereal. You can see yourself in her art.”
“My work's focus is about womanhood…Things like self-discovery, resilience, and transformation –– all related with healing,” says Febrero. “I connect with [aloT of Poetry’s] work, and I think she connects with my work too.”
The Power She Holds took the duo about 55 hours to make. The process involved Febrero first digitally illustrating the art for the piece based on an excerpt of a poem written by aloT of Poetry. After gathering a variety of fabrics, including fabrics representative of Febrero’s and aloT of Poetry’s cultures, they used fusible webbing to append the fabrics to a background that they projected the art onto as an outline.
“The embroidery was definitely the hardest and the longest part, but I think the fabrics were the most complicated part,” says aloT of Poetry. “If someone does go very, very close to the piece and they see the embroidery on the title and the poem, they'll see how we gradually got better.”
The pair started the embroidery portion of the work by trying a few needlework techniques they found online. While they got by using TikTok tutorials and how-tos, they also had a chance opportunity to exchange stitching patterns with their mothers. With Febrero’s mom happening to be in town on a rare visit from Chile, the two artists gathered with their mothers in the Arts Learning Centre at Werklund Centre and all embroidered together.
“My grandma from my mom's side, I learned from her everything about embroidering, using the sewing machine, and everything handmade. So, when my mom was here, I was immediately remembering those memories that I have with my grandma,” says Febrero. “For me, it was special because I can’t see my mom every year, and the last time was three years ago. So in doing this piece, now we're going to have this.”
While the final piece speaks to the importance of intergenerational connections between women, the assembly of it harkens back to the cooperative power of what was once considered ‘women’s work;’ the act of passing techniques back and forth combined with purely sitting in a room for hours sharing a project and vision with each other. It was a bonding experience that deepened both artists’ connection to the piece.
“It was so nice to just be making art with my mom, and it wasn't about work, it wasn't about money, it wasn't about anything. It was simply just about bonding and connecting,” says aloT of Poetry. “Our mothers talked about their lives and their relationship to fabrics and textiles… It felt like community building. It felt like how it would have been, where it's women sitting down making the clothes, chatting, gossiping -whatever they wanna do- and just making clothes.”
The Power She Holds also engages with very relevant issues. It speaks to the importance of women standing in support of each other, as historically, women have had to fight for every ounce of their power. Its makeup emphasizes the importance of staying in touch with one's heritage as it becomes increasingly elusive, in terms of both familial and cultural bonds.
“I wanted to talk about how women –– they hold so much power. Of course, they were always seen as people who could raise leaders, not be leaders… They're too delicate, they're too this, they're too that, they're too emotional… I feel like they're the backbone of communities.” says aloT of Poetry. “One of the things that I think is actually really important about this piece is talking about accessibility. It's actually not easy to find Nigerian fabric and we literally straight up could not find Chilean fabric. We can't just go and get fabrics that are connected to our culture, and if we do, it's very, very, very expensive.”
Febrero and aloT of Poetry’s moms have since formed a friendship akin to their daughters’, texting regularly despite a slight language barrier. The two artists are looking forward to working together more and continuing to explore new ways to create. As a mother herself, the ideas of The Power She Holds and the memories of making the work with her mother are ones Febrero continues to pass down.
“My experience as a woman and a mother constantly reminds me of the strength it takes to create, to care, and to keep moving forward, and that energy naturally finds its way into my art,” says Febrero. “Being a mother and an immigrant often means working without much support, so staying connected to my kids while I work is very important to me. I usually work around them and invite them into the process in small ways so they can see creativity as part of everyday life. For me, my practice becomes a space of connection, not just work.”
The Power She Holds is on exhibition in the Window Galleries at Werklund Centre until March 2026. Click here to view the full poem from aloT of Poetry.
Photos by Dena Vahle