Hi, hi. I’m stopping through your inbox to let you know that I curated an exhibition! *exciting horn sounds*
It’s a group exhibition at Unit London that follows up on some of my research from Women’s Work. The show will run from 7 March to 6 April, and will showcase 12 artists working across textiles and ceramics. I’m so jazzed at how beautifully it has come together and I hope you folks around London will be able to stop by to see it. I will also have some of my own textile work in the show, as well as a sound installation that my husband (Tom) and I worked on together (he did most of the work).
I’ll paste a proper description of the show below…
We Look Good Together, 2023. (above)
Within + Without brings together 12 contemporary artists working within the historically gendered mediums of textiles and ceramics, and exploring powerful representations of our inner and outer worlds.
We experience the world by navigating a series of internal and external domains. Our thoughts, interior spaces, anatomies and senses of self coalesce to inform our personal landscapes. Externally, our relationships, cultures, politics, appearances and social structures influence the way we move through our shared surroundings. Each of the artists in this exhibition engage with these themes in their work, at times investigating how the two areas interrelate. Their chosen mediums of textiles and clay further enrich these explorations through the materials’ associations with domesticity and nature, respectively.
The works of these artists contrast, complement and intersect with each other, providing opportunities to examine relationships within and without. Pieces by Vanessa Barragão and Claire Lindner evoke imagery found in nature, while Daisy Collingridge and Janice Redman incorporate materials and references found in interiors. Phoebe Collings-James and Bisila Noha’s works contemplate identity and how that can be informed by our wider environments. Similarly, Anya Paintsil, Sarah Zapata and Ferren Gipson reflect on cultural influences, drawing connections between family, heritage and materials. Looking inwards, Bea Bonafini, Armina Howada Mussa and Paloma Proudfoot investigate subjects of grief, memory and the stories we tell ourselves.
Within + Without is an extension of Ferren Gipson’s research for her book Women’s Work, with each project celebrating the continuing legacy of modern and contemporary women artists working in textiles and ceramics. The historical attribution of these mediums as ‘feminine’ and ‘traditional’ art forms fortifies the work of these artists with layers of social and cultural context, enabling them to represent the world in a deeply nuanced way. Through employing these mediums, artists – particularly women artists – challenge patriarchal hierarchies within art, upending stale notions of ‘high’ or ‘fine’ art. The artists in this exhibition have varied practices that highlight how these materials and methods can function as powerful tools to engage with the complexities of our public and private lives.
Things coming up…
4 March, 2 pm BST – Textile artist Abigal Booth and I will be having a conversation at Hauser & Wirth Somerset. Come by to say hi!
7 March to 6 April – Visit the exhibition I curated, Within + Without, at Unit London. Details here
9 March, 7 pm BST – I will in conversation with painters Flora Yukhnovich and Michaela Yearwood-Dan at Whitechapel Gallery. Get a ticket (£5)
Through 8 May – Go see my work alongside some brilliant artists at The New Bend show at Hauser & Worth Somerset. Find out more
*Keep an eye out on my Instagram for a couple more things that will be coming up in the next couple of months.
Y’all, be good xx