In Madrid, Miriam Bäckström merges photography and textiles in a hypnotic exhibition

In Galería Elba Benítez in Madrid, a large scale three-dimensional installation is suspended from the ceiling with suggestions of a silhouette of an otherworldly space ship. Adjacent, is a circular piece mounted upon a white wall in a swirling flurry of colour. The stretched colours seem to be hypnotic and draws the viewer in.

These are the works of Swedish artist, Miriam Bäckström in her latest exhibition ‘Extensions’. Best known for her photography, she has also worked extensively with theatre, film, performance, text and, most recently, textiles, such as her installation ‘Others Will Know’ in Buffalo AKG museum in New York. Her modus operandi involves a unification of fabrics and imagery to create a result that balances visuals and space.

'Extensions' by Miriam Bäckström

The process of making her image-objects includes three stages. The first involves photographing small pieces of textiles or metals extremely close. The second step is to translate the images into detailed instructions for automated jacquard looms. These are then weaved into silk tapestries. Finally, she stretches the textiles over geometric shapes. The result offers shimmering works, revelling in colourful detail and visual texture.

The exhibition includes Advanced Cone I (2019) and Tetrahedron (2024) which are larger scale pieces, while Bicone Double Mirrored I (2023) is smaller. These pieces are complimented with new pieces including the series Concentric (2024-25).

The exhibition title, Extensions, invites multiple interpretations. It could allude to hair – human or synthetic – woven into our own, or to the idea of expansion: a new space, a prolonged exhibition, or the act of stretching something beyond its original form.

However, Bäckström reflects upon a more abstract interpretation, that extending something refuses to acknowledge that something has finished, as she says, ‘This feels like giving ourselves license. Whenever we take things further, they become extensions. It just means that we have progressed from our first thought without abandoning it. This operation is becoming more and more important. Constantly entertained and distracted by our phones, we seem to be losing the ability to extend our thoughts into abstraction.’

'Extensions' by Miriam Bäckström is on display at Galería Elba Benítez until 8 November 2025