Mariana Baertl is a Peruvian fiber artist who, in June 2025, was in residence at our headquarters, helping to nurture the profound connection that exists between DHG and the world of textile art. Every year, we strive to offer an artist-in-residency to support fiber art and those who make it their life’s work.
Mariana accepted our invitation because she feels a deep alignment with our values: work ethic, the pursuit of quality, attention to detail, a sense of responsibility for the torch that those before us have kept burning with the hope it will always be safeguarded, and the courage to continuously explore new paths.
Mariana’s conceptual philosophy explores Nature’s biological language: texture, layers, gentle rhythms. Hand embroidery and natural fibers allow her to create tactile textile compositions that invite a pause, a moment of profound connection. Mariana works intuitively, letting each piece evolve at its own pace, guided by both materials and emotion.
During her residency, she created TRIPTYCH – The Richness of a Garden, a mixed media textile work made up of three panels where painting and hand embroidery merge. The use of diverse materials has given rise to an artwork rich in layers and tactility. Here, the garden represents serenity, slow time, and calls for a restorative pause in communion with Nature.
The triptych draws inspiration from the richness and harmony of the garden: layers of green, organic movements, and soft pink gradients evoke blossoms blooming.
To bring this vision to canvas, Mariana blended many materials, from wool to cotton to recycled sari silk ribbons. Every element adds substance and helped her recreate the depth and subtle irregularity of a natural landscape.
Developed over three panels, the work is meant to offer a sense of calm and vitality. Like a stroll through a garden, these textile tableaux aim to awaken the senses and evoke inner balance. The intent is to infuse the space with a gentle, living presence—a reminder of the beauty that surrounds us, even in quiet moments.
We welcomed Mariana’s vision with deep enthusiasm, because for us too, the garden holds many meanings. Since ancient Persian times, it has been seen as a place for introspection, for example. The garden can symbolize a slower way of experiencing time, just as Mariana suggests, and reminds us that slowing down can help reduce stress and allow our own inner garden to flourish. If we immerse ourselves fully, the garden teaches us to savor life at a gentler pace and inspires us to carve out quality time for ourselves—to create boundaries and a sacred space where nothing and no one can harm us.
A garden also teaches us how to care: to nurture what we love, to feed it, to remove the weeds that might stunt its growth, and to show it respect.
TRIPTYCH – The Richness of a Garden has joined the DHG collection, enriching our communal spaces and reminding all who see it that our textile district continues to create beauty—and inviting us to take time to enjoy life.
We thank Mariana for the way she interprets the joy of life, and we also want to thank the wonderful spaces of Bloomandbelove, where we were able to film part of the project, helping us amplify the triptych’s underlying message. Bloomandbelove is a remarkable local business: growers of slow flowers who, like DHG, recognize the value of things done well and sustainably, and who cherish both work and time. Like us, they love our city of Prato, where colors bloom—whether as flowers or textiles. We could not have dreamed of a better partner for this project.
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