HOLDING: Contemporary fibre art

HOLDING: Contemporary fibre artpresents a unique and diverse range of fibre art. Showcasing 25 international, national and local fibre artists, the exhibition explores – through textile mediums and techniques – ideas around containment and ownership. The exhibition is curated by Anne Kempton Director of Timeless Textiles, the only dedicated textile fibre art Gallery in Australia.

From smaller and intricate works of art like that of American artist Shannon Weber’s Amulet 2016using wire hemp and stone, to larger scale works such as Newcastle artist Brett Alexander’s five metre high Every time I have sex I think I might die (PEP/Prep version) 2016,

this exhibition expands on Kempton’s ideas around the ‘vessel’ as a form in contemporary fibre art and in this context is represented both physically and conceptually. Kempton states;

“The title HOLDING can allude to a sense of belonging, homeliness, security and memories. For me it’s a gentle nurturing of our souls, our world and each other. The materials for each of these works of art have been created or reused, held (sometimes times for long periods of time) in the artist’s hands during the making process.”

The environment is also a source of inspiration for many textile artists; drawing upon the world around them using both natural and synthetic materials, each artist is the primary creator of their work, all of which are layered with personal and individual meanings. In the Shelter 2016 by Western Australian artist Nalda Searles combines parts of a salvaged doll with native plant fibres and grasses held together using her own unique form of stitching.

HOLDING brings together fibre artists from Austria, Canada, Hungary, the Netherlands, Spain and the USA as well as Australia and Newcastle revealing their deft ability with the fibre textile medium and the realisation of this in three dimensional objects.

Munns has been preoccupied with the language of seeds for many years. It took shape, however, at the 2010 launch of the Homage to the Seed project for a year long artist residency at Brisbane Botanic Garden.

The investigations carried out on residency began to really give shape, and voice, to ideas around the pressing matter of seeds at this time of human history,” she said. “During further residencies in seed banks, botanic gardens and educational institutions, around Australia and abroad, I slowly gained a closer view into the complex world of seeds, science and conservation projects.

“I wanted to know what was really happening and how that might differ from public debates around seeds. I have been seeking clarity on some of the common themes and, in some cases, misconceptions.”
 
The concept behind the Seed Language exhibition started with a look back across time. Munns dipped into the interrelated fields of archeo-botany, ethno-botany and economic botany to unearth rich and complex stories revealing the multiplicity of ways that seeds have impacted on, and shaped, human life. 
 
Seeds and grains feature prominently among glyphs from several of the world’s earliest known languages. Munns finds seeds and their vessels translate well into motifs and symbols.

Across time many individuals, and indeed whole cultures, have created a language of seed forms expressed in all kinds of mediums,” she said. “It has been one of my primary visual preoccupations, as I collect and observe seed diversity in different habitats.”
 
Fibre and textile traditions also owe a great deal to seeds. Munns loves to use linen as a surface and explores a few paper sources that avoid trees being cut down. To minimise the use of unsustainable resources artworks may be smaller, worked on in a series, are often unframed, and certainly designed to be more transportable. 
                                       
Seed Language brings together images and ideas highlighting the ways that seeds have long been and continue to be central to human life on the planet. Emerging technology and science offer the potential for new discovery in plant life. Although losing species at a concerning rate, we are also discovering new plant species, bringing new discoveries in medicine, more resilient food crops and the potential for more sustainable products.
 
“The challenge in being so open to wide-ranging stimulus around seeds to find a focus to translate ideas that are meaningful to me into art forms,” Munns said