Indholdsfortegnelse for May - June 2024 i Embroidery

■ THE RA Summer Exhibition is an institution in its own right. The world’s largest open submission exhibition, it has been held every year without interruption since 1769 – even during Covid lockdowns, when it had to be delayed but not cancelled. The publishing calendar is such that I sit writing this at the end of March, when social media has been peppered with news of rejection letters from the RA, along with some happier posts. The will among artists to win an acceptance letter from the prestigious show is very keen and they take rejection hard. It must be a perplexing exhibition to put together, though. Works in a variety of media are eligible and with the RA’s open submission policy, emerging artists battle it out for a space…

In Weaving Abstraction in Ancient and Modern Art, at The Met, New York, two bodies of work separated by at least 500 years have been brought together to explore the connections between artists of the ancient Andes and those of the 20th century. Textiles by four modern artists – Anni Albers, Sheila Hicks, Lenore Tawney and Olga de Amaral – are shown alongside pieces by Andean artists from the first millennium BC to the 16th century. The more than 50 works on display offer insights into the emergence of abstract imagery. Until 16 June. metmuseum.org Mary Farmer (1940–2021) was at the forefront of radical textile art from the late 1960s to 1990s, creating striking, abstract tapestries. ‘Colour is to me,’ she wrote, ‘the single most powerful and emotive visual sensation.’…

Crochet artist and founder of the popular Instagram site @KnottedNeon, Aynsley Grealis presents a pattern collection for making fanciful hats, balaclavas and handbags in all shapes and sizes. In Mad Hatter, her first book, Grealis shares her previously unpublished designs and patterns to teach readers how to make three simple bases and then decorate each by incorporating layers of whimsical appliqués. The patterns look complicated, but the secret is in the embellishments, from coral reef fish, mushrooms and stars to bees and clouds. Mad Hatter: Crazy, Colorful Crochet Designs to Hook and Show Off by Aynsley Grealis, Abrams, £17.99, 23 May. abramsbooks.com Chloe Giordano is celebrated for her delicate, lifelike, nature-inspired embroidery. Fans of Chloe will be pleased to hear she’s releasing an expanded paperback edition of The Embroidered Art…

■ THE WORK OF THE Korean artist Yoon Ji Seon is impossible to pigeonhole. Both she and her work are remarkable. Firstly, there are her Rag Faces – puffed-up, padded visages that contort and gurn, while appearing to be stretched and pulled beyond recognition by invisible hands that yank at the threads that ooze from them. Then there is the Pricked series – again featuring faces but these are elegiac, veiled with lace and pierced hundreds, maybe even thousands, of times with tiny acupuncture needles. The photographs in her Body series are even more unsettling, with female hands caught between overly-hirsute, seemingly male, thighs and aping genitalia. Although she trained as a painter, Yoon describes herself as having a ‘love-hate’ relationship with painting. An iconoclast, making work that eschews the…

‘C is in the culture of Mexico,’ notes Victoria Villasana. ‘The celebrations, markets, street life colour and architecture are all colourful. Although I lived for a time in Brighton and London, I think that this colour has stayed with me, unconsciously, right from my childhood, and it has translated into my work.’ Villasana was born in Guadalajara, Mexico. The artist draws upon a wide pool of inspiration to make uplifting works which combine vividly coloured embroidery in the form of geometric shapes, highly linear or more organic patterns – often featuring loosely hanging threads or fringed elements – with predominantly black and white photography. From art and design history, to the rich cultural impact of Mexico, the vibrant stitched portraits she has been making for the last 10 years celebrate…

1. Tour a 17th century embroidery collection Set within an ancient deer park below the South Downs, Parham is one of the country’s finest Elizabethan houses. On 23 May, 5 July and 18 September visitors can take a tour of their remarkable collection of 17th century embroidery, which has an unparalleled selection of Stuart embroidered pictures and panels, as well as room-hangings and bed-hangings. Places are limited, so book early. The tour takes 90 minutes, £21 (and includes admission to the gardens from noon and the house from 2pm). parhaminsussex.co.uk 2. Make a needlefelt/stitch bee As we start to hear the drowsy thrumming of bumblebees in the garden, this workshop in creating a British bee, from the aptly named Lydia Needle, is fitting. You’ll look at the anatomy of bees…

How did the group start? TAG was set up in 1994 by friends who had met on City & Guilds creative embroidery courses and were looking to continue working creatively and collaboratively, sharing their expertise and investigating new approaches to textile art. Is there an overriding principle that binds you together? Members of the group focus on sharing their individual practice, together with a genuine excitement in exploring new techniques and processes. Work in a variety of media is welcomed, and celebrated, in order to encourage diversity in the textile and mixed media art pieces produced. Discussions during group meetings feed individual practice and collaborative projects. We make it a priority to use, where possible, Bankfield Museum’s prestigious textile collections in their rich and diverse galleries. Where and when do…

■ ON GRADUATING FROM Brighton Art School in the mid-1950s, Polish born Barbara Hulanicki became a highly successful fashion illustrator pretty much overnight. She covered the post-war Paris couture shows of Dior and Balmain for Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar, and Women’s Wear Daily, and rendered extravagant fashion in her graphite and gouache illustrations. Back in London, with a heavy purse and a head full of fashion, she wanted to go out and buy clothes that epitomised the youth culture of her generation. Yet, what she desired didn’t exist, and this was the impetus for Biba. Barbara and her husband Fitz launched Biba (named after her younger sister) as a mail-order company. This exhibition charts the sensational and breathtakingly speedy Biba boom, which lasted 11 years, from the first dress to the…

Stitching the Decades, 11 May–5 June, takes a backwards glance at Sue Rangeley’s fascinating work. Launching her career in 1974–1975 with a modest collection of embroidered evening bags, cushions and waistcoats, she attracted the interest of Vogue writer Judy Brittain. Based in a Cotswold studio in a rambling Victorian house with other artists and craftspeople, Sue’s career echoed the vibes of the time, with the revival of British arts and crafts encouraged by support from the Crafts Council. During the 1970s, pivotal moments included couture commissions for designer Bill Gibb; photos in Vogue; the cover of Crafts magazine, an exhibition in Paris; and gallery commissions. The artist’s signature style emerged: romantic embroidered fashions, delicate painted silks and free-flowing quilting patterns, strewn with depictions of flora and butterflies. Sue’s embroidered textiles…

Alison Aye is a marvel. Tantamount to a juggler keeping several plates spinning at the same time, she manages to hold down two jobs, running a home, a family and an arts practice, as well as caring for her father. Evidently a born pragmatist, the artist makes when she can, which is mostly on trains. ‘I always have something small with me,’ explains Alison, ‘that’s how my work is, lots of small things joined together.’ Describing herself as ‘the daughter and granddaughter of miners and seamstresses’, Alison’s childhood amid the coal pit districts of the North East, and her teenage years overshadowed by the 1984–1985 strike, have made their mark not only on her sensibilities and political affiliations but on her work and, indeed, her humour. She is clearly proud…

Sam Miller makes curious art dolls, honouring her nostalgia for all things retro and her affinity with antiques, which dates from her childhood. Home is a Victorian property in East London, but she grew up in a 400-year-old house on the Oxfordshire/Wiltshire border. Her mother made ‘very brave’ colour and textile choices and Sam imbibed her love of Liberty fabrics, William Morris and making things. During our conversation over Zoom, Sam sits on a classic purple sofa, surrounded by her dolls, the honeysuckle-hued wall behind plastered with inherited oil portraits and landscapes. The artist has a dedicated studio in a bedroom to the rear, with her work born out of the vintage scene, where like-minded people not only collect, but mend, make and imagine, ‘while still being staunch feminists, obviously,’…

Working as a multi-disciplinary artist, HELEN HAYMAN is beginning to explore how best to use the versatility of textiles in her current practice. Through the use of two- and three-dimensional processes, she hopes to bring the many aspects of her working practice into a new cohesive whole. The moorland is a forever changing landscape. Using paint, gesso, applied fabrics and stitch, MARGARET BROWN aims to portray this aspect of Calderdale in all its moods and shades. VIVIENNE A BROWN, a geologist and botanical artist, has looked at the physical setting of Calderdale, with its urban developments set among areas of natural beauty. She has marvelled at the ancient stone walls and explored the parks and recreation areas within them. Vivienne combines digital imagery with paper, print, fabric, machine and hand-stitch to create…

Naughty Medieval Embroidery by medieval stitch specialistTanya Bentham comes with an adults-only warning. This practical book explains a range of techniques used in medieval embroidery, from simple stem stitch to silk and goldwork. But, rather than the usual flowers and shields, it includes colourful aspects of medieval life, such as cheeky demons and phallic symbols. Naughty Medieval Embroidery by Tanya Bentham, The Crowood Press, £18.99.  crowood.com opusanglicanumembroidery.com…

One dress, 14 years in the making, with 380 stitchers from 51 countries and ‘literally hundreds of millions of embroidery stitches – 500,000 at least on just one panel’. The statistics on Kirstie Macleod’s Red Dress project are dizzying. Back in 2009 she had no idea how far the project would extend, but about some things, she felt certain. ‘I wanted it to take 10 years to build and have time to evolve. The seed of the idea was about bringing different cultures and identities together, and that’s remained, but other things have come into it since then.’ Initially an installation artist, Kirstie wore the dress and stitched on it while visible in a clear cube, but the project has become less about her as an artist, with the Red…

ALTHOUGHTRAINED AS A home economist, I taught textile art and design for more than 30 years. My working life has always been about finding inspiration, developing ideas and teaching creative making techniques using fibres and fabrics. Since retiring from teaching, I’ve been lucky enough to travel widely and this has inspired my own creative journey. I’m a keen photographer and enjoy nothing more than taking macro images of nature’s surfaces using my smartphone. Every walk is an exhilarating adventure and I’m always on the lookout for something to pique my interest. Coastal areas provide a wealth of inspirational material for many artists, from sandy paths to the abundance of detritus washed up on the beach. My most recent work is inspired by the coast, which has provided a plethora of…

Tate Britain is flying the flag for women artists in their forthcoming exhibition Now You See Us: Women Artists in Britain 1520–1920, from 16 May to 13 October. It should be a great show, reminding us of women artists we knew of, and many we didn’t. Two artists in the exhibition, Mary Morris Knowles (1733–1807) and Mary Linwood (1755–1845) were embroiderers. Curator Tabitha Barber chose the two women as prime examples of what was often labelled: women’s work. ‘These two women in particular cross the boundary between embroidery and art because it’s needle-painting, which is mimicking painting deliberately.’ Barber’s choices reveal an underresearched area of embroidery and one that was extremely popular at the time, embroidering copies of famous paintings. Both Knowles and Linwood had interesting and unconventional lives. Mary…

ON SHOW ALDEBURGH Seamless Flow, new work by 02Textiles, 6–11 Jun. The Courtyard Gallery, The Ballroom Arts, 152A High Street, Suffolk IP15 5AQ. 02textiles.co.uk ARUNDEL Stillness, mixed media show, 11 May–6 July, Gallery 57, 57 Tarrant Street BN18 9DJ. gallery57.co.uk AYLESBURY BloomingThreads: 400 years of embroidery blooms – an exhibition delving into the Embroiderers’ Guild Collection. Ongoing. Discover Bucks Museum, Church Street HP20 2PQ. discoverbucksmuseum.org BEDFORD Ukrainian Folk Art: 200 embroidered items, pysanky decorated eggs, beaded jewellery, Petrykivka art and woodwork, plus a Ukraine map embroidered by women recently arrived in Bedford due to the war. Until 11 May, Wed-Sat, 12pm-4pm. Free. John Bunyan Museum Basement Gallery, Mill St. MK40 3EU. BIRMINGHAM Quilt Art: Material Evidence until 27 May. MAC, Cannon Hill Park, B12 9QH. macbirmingham.co.uk BOVEYTRACEY 20Years in the…