Severina Seidl
ba (hons) Hand embroidery
Royal School of Needlework
Graduates: 2025
Specialisms: Embroidery / Textiles: Fashion/Interiors / Illustration
My location: Munich, Germany
Severina Seidl
First Name: Severina
Last Name: Seidl
University / College: Royal School of Needlework
Course / Program: ba (hons) Hand embroidery
Graduates: 2025
Specialisms: Embroidery / Textiles: Fashion/Interiors / Illustration
My Location: Munich, Germany
About
Severina Seidl is an artist, designer, and hand embroiderer who transforms traditional materials in innovative and unconventional ways, often integrating them with non-traditional materials, particularly from the fine arts.Her long-standing passion for art led her from studying fashion design in Germany to the Royal School of Needlework in London, where she explored ways to merge her love of art and fashion. Driven by a desire to translate the organic and unpredictable quality of her drawings and sketches into hand embroidery, she began experimenting with a variety of materials. For her, innovation is essential to achieving the seemingly impossible—pursuing a vision, an idea, an urge to discover.
Maleficium, the latest work by hand embroiderer Severina Seidl, explores themes of despair and hope, inspired by Krabat, the novel by German author Otfried Preußler. A book that profoundly shaped her youth, it resonated with her as a hopeless romantic and daydreamer, drawn to melancholic narratives. Through her work, she weaves her own stories—tales of dark magic, death, and fear, counterbalanced by the redemptive power of love. Duality lies at the heart of Maleficium, where the mysterious, ominous presence of ravens contrasts with the ethereal delicacy of butterflies, set against abstract elements that embody the tension between darkness and lightness. Her research draws on diverse influences, including the haunting imagery of ravens by Japanese photographer Masahisa Fukase, the wire drawing of jeweller Huimin Zhang, and the organic textural techniques of embroidery artist Clémentine Brandibas. The Maison Margiela Artisanal Collection 2024 by John Galliano further informs her use of both unique and everyday materials, as well as her approach to narrative through textiles. Severina’s hand embroidery practice is defined by an innovative fusion of materials and techniques. In this piece she incorporates experimental goldwork embroidery—a technique traditionally associated with military uniforms— whilst bringing a contrasting texture with beading, painting, and stitching. Inspired by her fondness for the intricate still-life paintings of Rachel Ruysch, Severina layers textures and techniques with meticulous details to captivate the viewer, inviting close examination and discovery. A convergence of multiple ideas, Maleficium is a singular yet multifaceted piece. It unites a range of distinct techniques and narrative layers, allowing each viewer to discover and interpret their own story within it. The composition flows from lighter passages deep towards, impenetrable black-on-black sections, balancing abstraction and realism to evoke an emotional journey—from loneliness and emptiness to the quiet emergence of hope.
Competitions
