Textile Artists Showcasing The Use Of Fibre In New Ways
Textile has been known to be a vehicle for storytelling. Similar to ceramic art, it stands between art and craft and it comes in many forms: knitting, carpet design, embroidery, fibre art, tapestry and weaving.
Textile has also expanded beyond art and is seen in aspects of design, technology, fashion and science. The practice of weaving was invented as early as 27,000 years ago which makes it one of the oldest forms of human technology.
It was known as a women’s craft because it involved sewing and quilting. Textile has undergone a renaissance over the past century as it has shown artists have pushed the boundaries of what can be considered textile and what can be considered art.
I’ve compiled a list of 10 artists that are doing wonders and are pushing the boundaries in the textile industry. They are also artists you should know.
1. Toshiko MacAdam
Born in Bridgetown, Nova Scotia, Canada, Toshiko is best known for her large-scale textile structures especially those ‘textile playgrounds’ for children. Toshiko uses knitting, crotchet and knitting techniques in creating her work as she focuses mainly on large, interactive textile environments.
She schooled at Tama Fine Art Institute in Japan and went for her Masters at Cranbrook Academy of Arts. She observed the lack of parks and playgrounds in Tokyo (which she was living at that time) and this led to her creating her first work in 1971.
Toshiko uses a Japanese-developed material known as Vinylon — a durable product but also inferior to nylon. Her structures are made entirely of hand with little addition of mechanically knotted elements in some pieces. She dedicates her works to the enjoyment of children as she believes that beauty is so important which is crucial for their development and memory of beauty will last through their lifetime.
2. Victor Ehikhamenor
The Nigerian visual artist draws inspiration from his village and ancestral home. He gains inspiration from the traditional motifs and religious cosmology of his heritage.
He realised he liked patterns, paintings, carved sculptures on the wall after his return from Maryland in 2005. His works are abstract, politically motivated and symbolic and he makes use of names and symbols which are used in revealing the tribe’s historical culture.
3. Siwa Mgoboza
Born in South Africa, Siwa is an interdisciplinary artist of his generation. He uses isiShweshe — a South African cloth with a history of appropriation and cultural exchange.
His work explores themes of identity, cross-pollination of cultures, political and economic problems around and of the world. Shweshwe is a fabric that has a complicated history in South Africa and has many connotations.
The material is printed cotton designed by settlers, produced in bulk in Indonesia and assimilated into African culture and also highly desired in Afro-chic movements.
4. Ana Teresa Barboza
Ana hails from Peru and her works are three-dimensional textile art that depicts natural forms of plant life and landscapes.
Her 2018 piece, TORCER is made from woven fabric, wool and alpaca which is embroidered onto a digital photographic print. The impactful artists explore our relationship with ourselves and nature.
Her works — the relationship between humans and animals, our bodies, clothing and our reaction to our environment- provide all manner of responses. She constantly reminds us that our connection with the natural world has grown stronger.
5. Gabriel Dawe
The Mexican born artists’ work dwells on investigations of the visible spectrum of light. Gabriel trained as a graphic designer and went to study at the University of Texas to investigate the connection between fashion and architecture.
He is known for his Plexus Series which consists of a large-scale network of sewing threads that investigates the visible spectrum of light.
The Series was named for the network of blood vessel nerves that run throughout the body and form connections. His weavings are occasionally mistaken for fleeting rays of light. The colours and materials he uses to recall the embroideries in production and Dawe’s upbringing.
He grew up in what he calls the intensity and culture of Mexican culture. His work deals with notions of social constructions and their relation to evolutionary theory and the self-organizing force of nature.
6. Diedrick Brackens
Diedrick is inspired by European tapestry, West African strip weaving and quilting traditions from the American South.
He draws on folklore, religion, his personal experiences and mythology. His work explores queer African American and queer identities.
7. Liz Collins
Recognized for her artworks that involve fabric, knitwear and textiles. She has expertise in transitioning fabric(s) into multidimensional forms, which is a method to vary the scale of her pieces to make them architectural and inviting rather than object-based.
Liz developed her own knitwear company after receiving her M.F.A. She developed a patent of her specialized technique of interweaving and assembling different materials to construct her garments.
Liz came up with the term knit grafting as she uses it in describing her heuristic process of reconstructing garments. She makes use of metals, lace and other mediums that make her design stand out.
She explores the relationship between the body as a site for engagement with physical space — especially architecture and the resulting dialogue that emerges.
8. Michael Brennand
He is recognized as one of the most innovative and inspiring artists that work with and in textiles. He works in the areas of lace, floral imagery, embroidery and patterns.
He regards himself as an independent explorer of visual territories as he combines ancient crafts with modern-day techniques such as digital printing, computerized machine embroidery to create wall-hung, sculptural, multimedia and textile pieces.
9. Cat Mazza
The American textile artist combines tactical media, activism, craft-based art-making and animation.
Her works overlap labour, media and technology.
10. Nike Davies
Also known as Nike Okundaye, is one of the most important figures in African arts and crafts. She is also a well-known textile artist and painter.
She is a Nigerian gallerist and a designer who deals with batik and Adire textiles. Her grandmother taught her the process and art of Adire textile making as it was practised in her hometown. She learnt the in-and-out of dyeing, weaving, painting and embroidery.
She also teaches unique techniques of dyeing Adire materials and the art of embroidery to disadvantaged women and young Nigerians.
