Emilee Papa

AQ is our series of hardcover catalogs celebrating extraordinary women artists. Available on Amazon. Visit the AQ Catalog Webpage to learn more.

AQ Volume IV artist Emilee Papa is an embroidery and textile artist from Los Angeles, California. She is interested in creating physical representations of complex emotions and draws inspiration from the macabre, vintage oddities, and horror movies, as she believes that the greatest beauty can come from the grotesque. She began her embroidery journey during the pandemic, and the process quickly became a creative and emotional outlet that she had been searching for throughout her life.

While still early in her career, Emilee has had the opportunity to show her work at art shows across Los Angeles. She aspires to have her work displayed in a gallery in the future but is happy to continue sharing her pieces across her social media platforms.


www.instagram.com/empapa_embroidery

What inspired you to become an artist, and how did you decide to commit to this path?

When I first started embroidery in 2020, I had picked it up as a casual hobby. At the time I had been struggling with severe depression. My life and all of the plans I had made for my future had been halted with the pandemic, and I felt so isolated and lost. In 2021, I began to push myself with my craft and started creating pieces that allowed me to not only explore but process these difficult emotions I had been dealing with. Once I did this, it was like a spark had been lit within me! Creating art has allowed me to heal so much of myself, and seeing others who are able to connect with my pieces has driven me to continue on this path.


Could you share the story or concept behind your recent work?

"The Death of a Collector" is one of my first explorations outside of hand embroidery work. The corset has over 1500 beads, buttons, and trinkets that were hand-sewn in the shape of a ribcage. The piece is about a collector who allowed her hobby to consume her, and upon her death, all that remained of her were the items she collected throughout her life. It's a reminder to balance my passions with my loved ones so I leave behind more than just a pile of buttons.


What was the most challenging part of your path so far? How are you navigating this obstacle?

The most challenging part of my path so far has been fighting off imposter syndrome. It's so easy in this time of social media to scroll through artists on Instagram and TikTok and find yourself comparing your work to others. There have absolutely been times where I've struggled with a piece only to find myself later that day looking at another artist's work online and feeling defeated. During these times it's important for me to take a step back and think of myself outside of the frame of what others are doing or making. I take a deep breath and think of what my work means to me and why I'm creating it in the first place. We've all felt the urge to compare ourselves and our work to others, but if what we're creating is fulfilling to us, then that's what's most important in the end.


What role does experimentation and exploration play in your artistic practice?

I'm a self-taught embroidery artist, so experimenting and exploring has been an ongoing thread in my practice (pun intended). I think a lot of people have this preconceived notion about embroidery art that it's a limited art medium, harkening back to a much less forgiving time where many considered it nothing more than a "women's hobby" and therefore unworthy in the art world. This outdated bias pushes me to experiment with what I can accomplish with only a needle and thread, and push the boundaries of the medium to show that embroidery and textile art are just as legitimate as any other medium.


Do you have any start or stop rituals before creating?

I don't really have any start or stop rituals within my art. My hands are often itching to create throughout the day, so as soon as I get home and have the ability to get to work on my projects, I tend to just dive right in.


What message do you hope your art conveys to the world?

I want my art to show that we should not be ashamed of the difficult emotions we may be struggling with, and that there is beauty to be found even in the darkest parts of ourselves.


Share a mantra or favorite quote that keeps you going.

"Art should be something that liberates your soul, provokes the imagination, and encourages people to go further." -Keith Haring