Zoarinivo Razakaratrimo, Madagascar's preeminent fiber artist, is taking Malagasy fibers and weaving them in new ways. "Zo" took up weaving relatively late in life as a creative outlet, but it soon became a full-time artistic career. Her works, such as the large wall hanging called Craziness that incorporates Malagasy spices and such found objects as pens, phone cards and chains demonstrate her threefold artistic goals:

• to break through the limitations of the two-dimensional weaving plane;
• to promote the rich cultural and natural heritage of Madagascar;
• to show the beauty in the ordinary.

For years, Zo worked in isolation, experimenting and creating only for herself. Today, she is well-known in both local and international art circles for her inventive approach to textile arts that creatively blends the local and the global. She has won juried prizes at international art exhibitions, such as the Dak' Art international biennial in Senegal in 1999. In 2000, she opened her own boutique, Zo Artiss', offering one-of-a-kind interior furnishings. She continues to make "crazy" textiles for her own pleasure and occasionally for sale.