Blog - Textile Curator

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August 28, 2023 In Art, Textile Art

Tapestry meets Architecture

Under the Milky Way tonight … by Multiplicity

Counterpoint by Adjacency Studio

Fata Morgana by Yiling Shen and Yuchen Gao

Solstice by Beth George and Emerald Wise

Once Upon a Time by Studio Orsi

I’ve just returned from a holiday in Australia and one thing I love is the large-scale tapestries adorning public buildings. Tapestries hang in government buildings in the capital and even my local library when I lived in Sydney. Many of these are created by The Australian Tapestry Workshop (the ATW) which has woven contemporary tapestries since 1976. Their weavings aren’t just limited to public spaces in Australia. They have found their way to public buildings around the world including in Singapore, France and Bombay.

The ATW has lots of events in its calendar including The Tapestry Design Prize 2023 for Architects. Now in its fifth year, this prize encourages “innovation and visionary thinking by challenging architects to design contemporary tapestries.” Offering a $10,000 prize it attracts entries from Australian and international practices. This year the brief was to create a tapestry for the award-winning Bundanon Art Museum.

For professionals who dedicate their careers to designing spaces that often appear like a work of art, seeing their rendering of potential tapestries that introduce softness to angular buildings is fascinating. Some entries such as Once Upon and Time by Studio Orsi use the image as a canvas. Others including Jesse Osadczuk with Under the milky way tonight.. hang within the gallery space to become an almost immersive experience. Here are a few of the finalists and I’ll let you know the winner when it’s announced in early September.

The Tapestry Design Prize for Architects 2023 is generously supported by Metal Manufactures Limited, Architecture Media and Creative Victoria. To find out more visit https://www.austapestry.com.au/

August 6, 2023 In Textile Art

Joyful Embroidery course with Fleur Woods

It has never been easier to learn a skill or brush up on techniques online

Creating textile art can be a very personal journey. The time it takes, the slow reveal and the meditative quality of the practice all allow you to retreat into your own creative world. When the basics are mastered it is possible to pick up techniques by trial and error. So when I was offered the chance to take an online course I was interested to see what it involved.

Fibre Arts Take Two features beautifully filmed in depth courses by professional artists. I was drawn to ‘Joyful Embroidery,’ by New Zealand contemporary embroidery artist Fleur Woods. This was partly as I love her colourful work, and partly from curiosity to see how an embroidery course could hold my attention.

Aiming to demystify the process, Fleur has created ‘the course she wished she had when she was starting out,’ and what a great course it is. Fleur takes you through basics including how to do certain stitches and how long your thread should be, to elements that help more experienced stitchers such as dying fabrics, creating compositions and layering your work.

Split into 10 modules with bonus material, each topic is divided into easy to delve in sections. These include Punch Needle Textures, Collaging with Textures and there are also recorded Q & A sections. If you are feeling isolated in your practice or you want to connect with others you can share your work on the global Facebook community.

As well as filming in the studio it shows Fleur in the stunning New Zealand landscape and the combination is both informative and relaxing. For some modules I took notes or picked up little tips, others I had on the background while I created my own work. Fleur is a great teacher and is so open and keen to share ideas at the end of the course you almost feel like you are old friends.

Fibre Arts Take Two release courses at different times of the year covering a range of genres. If you’re looking for a professionally filmed and produced online experience with eight weeks of tutor interaction, live Q&A’s, and lifetime access, Joyful Embroidery is worth the investment. You’ll find elements to introduce into your practice, or if you are completely new to a topic it really can give you the skills and confidence you need to begin your textile art journey and flourish.

https://www.fibreartstaketwo.com/courses/fleurwoods/

https://www.fleurwoodsart.com/

July 3, 2023 In Art, Exhibitions, Textile Art

Murray Gibson Tapestry Exhibition

Clockwise from above: Arachne, 2016, 57 x 60 cm, created with funding from an Arts Nova Scotia Creation Grant. The Lady of Shalott, 2008, 60 x 60 cm. Valkyrie: Web of War, 2018, 47 x 177 cm created with funding from an Arts Nova Scotia Creation Grant. Brier Rose: Nightmare, 2021, 50 x 75 cm. All wool and cotton.

As some of you may know I studied tapestry weaving so am fully aware of the patience and slight obsession that comes with this art form. Curves and shading are particularly time consuming so I am in awe of Canadian artist Murray Gibson. You can see some of his meticulously woven tapestries in a new exhibition.

Cloth & Consequence. Tapestries that explore the intersections of textile practice with destiny and fate, with life and death is exhibiting at St. Francis Xavier University Art Gallery in Nova Scotia until September 16th 2023.

https://www.murraygibsontapestry.com

https://www.instagram.com/murraygibsontapestry/

https://www.mystfx.ca/art-gallery/home

May 29, 2023 In Textile Art

Queer Threads exhibition is back

Those of you who have been following Textile Curator for a while may remember a blog a few years ago about Queer Threads, crafting identity and community by John Chaich. Well good news, the exhibition is back. This evolving project is “an intergenerational, intersectional mix of contemporary LGBTIQIA+ artists who are pushing the boundaries of fiber and textile traditions.” Featuring work by 37 artists that date from 1971 to this year, it is currently exhibiting over four galleries at the San Jose Museum of Quilts and Textiles in California. Covering many generes of textile art such as crochet, quilting and stitch the work explores themes such as history and futurity, physicality and spirituality, vulnerability and sercurity and more. All while ‘position[ing] queerness within the history of domestic crafts and fiber arts.’ These are some of my favourite pieces. Richard-Jonathan Nelson Foolish to believe this is their future when we've only just arrived, 2020. Digital collage on cotton, applique, embroidery, piecework. 95 x 102 inches. Courtesy of the artist. Jovencio de la Paz Bent Pyramid (1.1), 2022. Handwoven, Jacquard textile and cotton. 62 x 62 x 1.5 inches. Courtesy of the Artist and Chris Sharp Gallery, Los Angeles. Ricki Dwyer, First Impressions, 2020. Cotton, dye, steel, aluminum, ball chain, plinth. 48 x 42 x 18 inches. Courtesy of the artist Diedrick Brackens summer somewhere (for Danez), 2020. Woven cotton and acrylic yarn. 100 x 105 inches. © Diedrick Brackens. Private collection. Courtesy of Jack Shainman Gallery, New York. dani lopez Tryin’ to hold it together, 2022. Handwoven cotton, novelty yarn, and metallic tinsel foil fringe. 73 in x 50 inches. Courtesy of the artist Kang Seung Lee Untitled (The Future Perfect), 2021. Antique 24k gold thread embroidery on Sambe, fossil leaves, meteorites, copper, ceramic vessel (California clay mixed with soils from Tapgol Park, Namsan Park, Prospect Cottage), and dried flowers from Homie Garden.Installation 106.2 x72 inches. Courtesy of the artist and Gallery Hyundai, Seoul Queer Threads: Crafting Identity and Community is exhibiting at the San Jose Museum of Quilts and Textiles until August 20th 2023. https://www.sjquiltmuseum.org

May 1, 2023 In Uncategorized

Magdalena Abakanowicz Exhibition

A few weeks ago I finally made to the epic exhibition of Polish artist Magdalena Abakanowicz. One of Poland’s most successful artists, Magdalena transformed weaving from two dimensions into sculptures and was a pioneer for art installations. This is the first major exhibition of her work in the UK since 1975. Her Abakans are towering soft woven sculptures and you can walk around them and feel truly immersed in their environment.

As you would expect from Tate Modern, this is an incredibly thorough exhibition. You can watch interviews with Magdalena explaining her ethos, showing her weaving and the sculptures in situ over the decades. A timeline wall explains her artistic journey and gives you a full picture of the amount of her work and dedication. Personally it was really interesting to see how her work developed from more conventional 2 dimensional wall hanging tapestries to her Abakans. It’s also a reminder how colours come in and out of fashion. The rich autumnal colours are now back in vogue so despite their age seem new.

Everyone I know who had visited the exhibition loved it so I was full of high expectations. As we all know art is subjective and while I admire the skill, impact and lets be honest the sheer logistics of weaving pieces on this scale they didn’t make my heart sing. Other people viewing the exhibition seemed captivated but I felt oddly detached from the experience. But isn’t this the point of art? It is all about how you connect with a piece which makes it such a powerful medium. However you feel about Magdalena’s work this is definitely an exhibition to experience but hurry it finishes on May 21st.

Magdalena Abakanowicz Every Tangle of Rope and Thread is on until 21st of May at Tate Modern

https://www.tate.org.uk/whats-on/tate-modern/magdalena-abakanowicz

April 24, 2023 In Art, Design

Beyond the Streets exhibition

Sources of inspiration are different for everyone and I’m taking a rare break from the world of textile art to share details of a Street Art and Graffiti exhibition. If you’re looking for inspiration for your practice or just want to surround yourself a brilliant dose of creativity I thoroughly recommend visiting BEYOND THE STREETS LONDON at the Saatchi Gallery.

Featuring over 100 artists from cities around the globe, it is immaculately exhibited over three floors – an impressive 70,000 square feet! Names of artists you instantly recognise (such as Keith Haring) to unknown gems show their skills and originality through paintings, photographs and installations.

Besides the art work itself, the curation by graffiti historian Roger Gastman is exceptional. A wall of images of hundreds of subway trains, a room where QR codes cover the floor and walls and a pop up record store where you can step back in time and pay an old favourite record all create memorable experiences. There are also some pieces such as a neon acrylic mural by Maya Hayuk that would make sensational quilts.

By taking street art into a world renowned gallery it is arguably impossible not to make street art into a corporate and established genre. But put this thought to one side, immerse yourself in a world of colour, graphics and history and you’ll have a great time.

BEYOND THE STREETS LONDON runs until 9th May 2023 at Saatchi Gallery, Duke of York’s HQ, King’s Road, London, SW3 4RY.