The work of Lisette de Greeuw is ensconced in and intertwined with language. She uses transformation as a method and translation as a material. She’s developed a lexicon based on embroidery patterns with markings referring to colours in order to create a picture. This puts the viewer at a distance, while the drawings also serve as a “tool allowing access to the actual work”. The repetition of basic steps introduces errors to the system. These errors are key, as they lay the foundation for new shapes. 

Her work is an experience of permanent transformation that radically blurs the line between original and copy. By using transformations to create multiple works, she tests the structural boundaries of communication in an attempt to demonstrate the issues and richness shown in language and translation. Does language create meaning, does meaning create language?