Fresh from its MUMA renovation, unveiled earlier this year, Manchester's Whitworth Gallery is currently playing host to an exhibition of textiles that make the crossover from the realm of craft into fine art. Featuring artists such as Magdalena Abakanowicz, Tracey Emin, Grayson Perry, Ghada Amer and Kimsooja, the new show specifically gathers textiles that have been made to express social, political or artistic ideas – a practice that, as the curators note, has been growing since the 1960s.
Awe-inspiring pieces like Faith Wilding's web-like Crocheted Environment, otherwise known as 'The Womb Room', represents the wave of feminist artists who reappropriated traditional domestic crafts to create subtly subversive artworks in the 1970s; while Anne Wilson's intricately-stitched, damaged damask cloth Dispersions (no. 27) and Ghada Amer's embroidered Sunset with Words – RFGA demonstrate how contemporary artists continue to be influenced by these early pioneers.
Other art works touch upon politics of identity and nationhood, as well as the value of the handmade in the digital age. For instance, Lawrence Lemaoana’s fabric and embroidery work I Did Not Join The Struggle To Be Poor, is a sign made of the African National Congress flag that reinterprets the much-quoted statement made by former head of communications for the ANC, Smuts Ngonyama, when he was accused of unfair business practices in 2007.
As well as established talents, the show also introduces new names such as Mary Sibande, whose work explores identity in post-apartheid South Africa and stereotypes around the black female body.
'Textiles are a powerful medium for the expression of political and social issues that are current right now. They raise questions about the value of the local and global, making them an ideal vehicle to critique global capitalism and homogeneity of production,' says curator Jennifer Harris. 'Their history and close association with women and domestic crafts exemplify the revival of interest in hand making and the tactile in a super-speed, digital age. And there is a new urgency to feminist issues around the world, making people look again at feminist work made in the 1970s and ‘80s.'
The show draws on the museum's 20,000-strong collection of dress and textile objects from across the world
Pieces like Dorothea Tanning's De Quel Amour and Faith Wilding's web-like Crocheted Environment, represent the new wave of feminist artists who reappropriated traditional domestic crafts to create subversive artworks in the 1970s. Pictured left: De Quel Amour, by Dorothea Tanning, 1970. Courtesy Centre Pompidou and Musee National d'Art Moderne. Right: Crocheted Environment, by Faith Wilding, 1972/1995.
Artists like Wilding and Tanning paved the way for contemporary names such as Ghada Amer, who's embroidered Sunset with Words – RFGA is emblazoned with the words “Nobody gives you power you just take it”, across a rainbow background. Pictured: Sunset With Words – RFGA, by Ghada Amer, 2013
Key themes include issues of feminism and politics of identity and nationhood, as well as the value of the handmade in the digital age. Pictured left: Sophie Velucia and Madame CJ Walker, by Mary Sibande, 2009. Courtesy of the artist and Gallery Momo, Johannesburg. Right: Dispersions (no. 27) (detail), by Anne Wilson, 2014.
The creation of textiles made to express social, political or artistic ideas is a practice that, as the curators note, has been growing since the 1960s
Lawrence Lemaoana’s fabric and embroidery work is a sign made of the African National Congress flag that reinterprets the much-quoted statement made by former head of communications for the ANC. Pictured: I Did Not Join The Struggle To Be Poor, by Lawrence Lemaoana, 2015.
INFORMATION
’Art_Textiles’ is on view until 31 January
ADDRESS
The Whitworth
The University of Manchester
Oxford Road
Manchester, M15 6ER
-
Alexander McQueen appoints Irish designer Seán McGirr as creative directorAlexander McQueen announces new creative director Seán McGirr – who previously worked at JW Anderson – just days after Sarah Burton’s exit from the British house
-
Fender Tone Master Pro hopes to capture the ears of guitarists everywhere
The new Fender Tone Master Pro is the company’s first foray into digital multi-effects systems, a sophisticated unit that blends retro style with high-end electronics
-
Major Barbie exhibition announced at Design Museum, London
The Design Museum has announced a major Barbie exhibition (5 July 2024 – 23 February 2025) to coincide with the doll’s 65th anniversary
-
Tanya Aguiñiga: the artist weaving new narratives for borderless creativity
We profile LA-based artist and Loewe Foundation Craft Prize finalist Tanya Aguiñiga, whose work explores life on the US-Mexico border and seeks to empower transnational voices
-
Louis Barthélemy’s tapestries capture the sublimity and dynamism of Senegalese wrestling
‘Mbër Yi / The Wrestlers’ at the Théodore Monod African Art Museum (IFAN) in Dakar sees French artist Louis Barthélemy respond to Senegalese mysticism in appliquéd hangings
-
Cecilia Vicuña’s ‘Brain Forest Quipu’ wins Best Art Installation in the 2023 Wallpaper* Design Awards
Brain Forest Quipu, Cecilia Vicuña's Hyundai Commission at Tate Modern, has been crowned 'Best Art Installation' in the 2023 Wallpaper* Design Awards
-
Faith Ringgold on capturing the complexity of the American experience: ‘It takes courage to be free’
We interview Faith Ringgold, whose major retrospective exhibition ‘American People’ runs until 27 November at the de Young Musuem, San Francisco
-
Textile artists: the pioneers of a new material world
These contemporary textile artists are weaving together the rich tapestry of fibre art in new ways
-
Tracey Emin interview: ‘If I hadn’t made art, I would be dead by now’
We speak to British artist Tracey Emin in her hometown of Margate, where she has created a new painting to raise funds for TKE Studios, a pioneering complex serving the next generation of radical creatives. ‘I don’t want to die being an artist that made really interesting work. I want to make a future.’
-
Riotous colour, terrific textiles: Sheila Hicks: ‘Off Grid’ at The Hepworth Wakefield
Fiber art icon Sheila Hicks’ much-anticipated show at The Hepworth Wakefield is a career-spanning celebration of voluminous form and vibrant colour
-
San Francisco’s Museum of the African Diaspora reopens with Billie Zangewa and Amoako Boafo
Reopening for the first time since the onset of Covid-19, San Francisco’s Museum of the African Diaspora is staging epic exhibitions by Amoako Boafo and Billie Zangewa
