When Rozsika Parker wrote The Subversive Stitch (1984) she brought to the fore a powerful exploration of the cultural and socio-economic values of embroidery, which revealed the deep-rooted gender politics that led to the devaluation of ‘feminine’-coded arts.
… Editorial #10: Subversive Stitching
Tussar, Chanderi, Kanjeevaram, Bandini, Patola – these are names I would often hear around me while growing up in India, and I remember vividly the accompanied excitement that these words would conjure, and the all-consuming beauty and vibrancy that would follow.
… Practice-based: Aninda Varma
North London based artist and activist Rachelle Romeo’s work caught our eye with her powerful and poetic use of embroidery.
Amy E. Elkins reviews handiwork by Sara Baume
… Book Review: handiwork’s Crafting of the New Global Elegy
Janie Terrero’s decision to declare her identity at the centre of her work is a gesture of defiance towards the Prison’s attempt to anonymise inmates in an effort to prevent solidarity from forming.
… Stitching Solidarity: Janie Terrero and the Political Power of the Needle
Explore Sibande’s alter-ego, the domestic servant Sophie Ntombikayise, who emanates and is entangled by sprawling, supernatural roots of purple fabric…
… ‘Always in the Middle’: Unpicking the Fabric of Domesticity with Mary Sibande
Guernica Remaking, a research project led by Dr. Nicola Ashmore, seeks to explore how the radical energy of this political charged artwork is being harnessed by community groups across the globe.
… Spotlight: Guernica Remakings
After stumbling on an exhibition in Madrid, Roberta Quance discovers the affective resonance of crochet and the legacies of lacemaking…
… In the (Spider’s) Web (on Berta López)
How the mysterious and enigmatic artist Madge Gill (1882-1961) defied all expectations of being a working class woman in the early 20th century.
… Madge Gill: Creativity with No Boundaries
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