“I make my work from my personal life experiences.” From pantyhose to prison sheets, South African artist Turiya Magadlela masterfully transforms the fabric of daily life. Acts of twisting, stretching, layering and stitching lead to intricately layered, abstract designs pulled over wooden frames, left free hanging or filling entire rooms, leaving traces of performance that…
Category Archives: TEXTILES IN ART
“In a lot of my work it’s important that there is this ambiguity, that it doesn’t answer these questions and that there are no definite statements being made. So it’s more a type of poetry; it’s a poetic statement.” Yinka Shonibare’s art is a balance of opposites, combining irreverent, playful fantasy with the shocking brutality…
“It’s that notion of gravity pulling on things, making things collapse, and that potential to collapse.” Multicoloured fabric is bundled into oversized pom-poms, stretched across posts or draped over concrete slabs in the wild, rugged world of Phyllida Barlow. Colossally huge and disarmingly bright, her sculptural installations transform the simple, everyday materials of concrete, plaster,…
“The work of art is a scream of freedom.” The astonishing, monumental ambition of husband and wife duo Christo and Jeanne Claude was limitless, covering vast swathes of land, sea and architecture. Merging textiles with land art, they transformed some of the world’s most famous sites, draping, wrapping and adorning them with specially engineered, vivid…
There is a sparkling lightness of touch associated with Raoul Dufy’s practice, one that defines the joi de vivre of the Parisian Belle Epoque era he was raised in. One of his most popular quotations, “my eyes were made to erase all that is ugly,” reveals his inclination towards the decorative and beautiful, or the…
In this new series, we will explore three revolutionary artists who have crossed over from the art world into textiles and fashion, delving into the obstacles they faced and what led them to pursue commercial ventures. Art and fashion: two distinct industries, yet their divide is more porous today than ever. Many of today’s contemporary artists…
Many of our artisan embroiderers started their design life out doing something completely different and then found themselves in embroidery, almost by accident. This is no more true than for Evelin Kasikov who, after completing a Fine Art graphics BA at the Estonian Academy of Art, worked as a graphic designer in advertising for ten…
The next of our artisan embroiderers is Aimee Betts, who describes herself as a “˜Creator of Adornments’. Aimee combines more modern processes, such as industrial sewing and digital embroidery with the more traditional hand-sewn approach to create contemporary embellishment pieces. Her work spans fashion, interior design and visual art and includes modern crafted accessories, jewelry,…
Sydney-based sisters’ Maricor and Maricar Manalo‘ describe themselves as “˜Makers of Things assorted’. They’re designers, illustrators and animators by trade, but in recent years have gathered somewhat of a cult following due to their incredible embroidery skills. ‘ Their hand-stitched typographic works are playful and geometric as well as bursting with color, and have earned MaricorMaricar commercial and…
The first of our embroiderers is Emily Jo Gibbs,’ a British artist specializing in hand-stitched textiles. A member of the 62 Group, she became internationally known for her exquisite luxury handbags, but has recently found more artistic acclaim for her embroidered portraits. Her unique ability to bring objects and drawings to life with embroidery means…
Similar to our exploration of the Bohemian Modern trend, we’ve noticed a revival of artisan craftsmanship across the western world. Young people are stepping away from technology and learning a more traditional craft – be it woodwork, beer brewing or knitting – and turning that craft into a business. The last few decades have seen…
Today, we are focusing on a single artist in order to more carefully examine the Renaissance period. Titian created great works of art that featured highly expressive figures that exemplified the “rebirth” spreading throughout Italy and Europe. Titian’s figures graced his altarpieces, portraits, mythologies, and pastoral landscapes. Tiziano Vecillio (ca. 1488-1576), known as Titian, is…
Portrait of Giovanna degli Albizzi Tornabuoni. Domenico Ghirlandaio. c. 1488/1490, tempura on panel. The Portrait of Giovanna degli Albizzi Tornabuoni by Domenico Ghirlandaio captures the beauty of this young women and carries more meaning than one may suspect. The historical significance of this notable work of art from the Early Renaissance reveals insightful keys…
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