Art Craft

Through the Work of More than 60 Artists, ‘The Golden Thread’ Traces the Rise of Textiles in Contemporary Art

In the historic South Street Seaport area of Manhattan, a former 18th-century mercantile warehouse sets the scene for a monumental exhibition of contemporary textile art. The Golden Thread: A Fiber Art Show, presented by BravinLee, gathers more than 100 artworks by 61 artists into the cavernous space, including ten site-specific installations that riff on the building’s history, character, and original machinery.

Metaphorically, the golden thread is a feature or concept that is present in all parts of something, holding everything together and imbuing it with value. This notion provides the framework for an ambitious presentation of dozens of pieces by artists who utilize or incorporate fiber into their work, formed around questions like, “How are textiles enmeshed with power?” or, “How can the medium’s previously outcast status at once be challenged and reclaimed?”

Tracing its roots back tens of thousands of years, fiber has played an intrinsic role in human society, used in everything from garments to homewares to industrial equipment. Historically defined as a craft, trade, or hobby, fiber encompasses a vast range of practices, from knitting and embroidery to weaving, quilting, and carpet design. During the past century, textiles and their processes have increasingly found their way into fine art, tying contemporary practices to timeless traditions.

If you’re a regular reader of Colossal, you’ll recognize works by Melissa Webb, April Bey, Jean Shin, Wangechi Mutu, Sarah Zapata, and more. The Golden Thread continues through May 19, with variable hours. If you’re in New York, visit BravinLee’s website for more information and opening times.

 

Art

Nicolas V. Sanchez Captures Ancestral Stories and Memories in Meticulously Detailed Equine Portraits

When Nicolas V. Sanchez’s dad was young, he was partially raised by his grandfather in Mexico while his own father established roots in Michigan. “My great grandfather bred show horses for festivals and performances, and my dad told me about a specific horse in particular that did not meet my great grandfather’s ‘standard’ for showing,” Sanchez tells Colossal. “He gave that horse to my dad as a childhood pet.”

This particular equine was a skinny, scraggly white horse that was blind in one eye, and Sanchez’s father named him Ojo de Vidrio, or “glass eye.” The artist (previously) was struck by this story and the connection to his relatives and ancestral traditions. He says:

When I decided to include Ojo de Vidrio in my work, my intention was not to paint a breathing, living horse. I don’t know this horse firsthand. The texture of the horse are like the textured, colorful walls in Mexico ,with bright colors peeking through. Not fur. This horse is an emblem, serving as a vessel that carries with it my family history from a different place and time.

Sanchez has long been fascinated by stories and memories of his heritage in Mexico, and in an ongoing series of sketchbook titled Herencia, or “inheritance,” he calls on memories and narratives that connect his past to the present. Meticulously detailed, realistic renderings emerge from ballpoint pen, and recently he has scaled up considerably to translate some horse portraits into life-size oil paintings.

Ojo de Vidrio’s story led Sanchez into the realm of equine culture and the nuances of traditional portraiture. Paralleling the standards for which horses are bred, the artist became more and more interested in visually capturing the subtleties of how the animals stands, its muscle movement, the degree to which it holds up its head, or the way it faces the viewer— “all details and considerations that go into the composition of a life-size, fully depicted horse painting,” he says.

Sanchez was recently part of a two-person exhibition at Galerie Mokum, which featured his ballpoint pen drawings alongside friend and fellow artist Dina Brodsky. This September, he will present a solo booth of new work at Art on Paper in New York City, and his next major exhibition in the U.S. will be with Trimper Gallery in Greenwich, Connecticut. See more on his website, and follow updates on Instagram.

 

Craft Design

This Thriving Terra Cotta Workshop Gets an Impressive Brick Makeover in Rural Vietnam

In the village of Dien Phuong in the Quang Nam Province of Vietnam, a thriving workshop received a striking expansion with the help of Ho Chi Minh City-based architects Tropical Space. In 2016, the design firm conceived of a cubic studio for local artist Le Duc Ha in the form of an airy, seven-square-meter brick structure situated among geometric gardens on the bank of Thu Bon River.

Last year, Tropical Studio completed the stunning Terra Cotta Workshop, a major addition to the complex that includes zones for the craftspeople to work and for the public to engage with different activities. A courtyard connects the spaces and holds an enormous cylinder around a brick kiln, which is original to the building previously occupying the site. One long exterior wall, which doubles as an extensive shelf, displays numerous terracotta pieces produced in-house.

Baked brick is a popular and cost-effective material in Vietnam because it is sustainable, locally produced, and steeped in tradition. Due to the country’s balmy climate, brick provides an appealing facade while also allowing for natural ventilation and light openings, especially when arranged in lattice patterns. Terra Cotta Workshop utilizes a series of interconnected walls to create passageways and manage airflow and shade, simultaneously dividing and connecting various spaces.

Explore more projects on the studio’s website.

 

Art

Daniel Dewar and Grégory Gicquel Cultivate Connections Between Sculpture, Nature, and Craft

The term “spoke” has traditionally referred to a piece of split log, like those used as supports in a wagon wheel. Traditional basket-making techniques draw on that same concept by weaving flexible material through a stronger framework. For French artistic duo Daniel Dewar and Grégory Gicquel, notions of interlaced strands, patterns, ecosystems, and vessels shape their solo exhibition, The Weaver and the Spoke, at Antenna Space in Shanghai.

Permaculture, a land management approach geared toward working with, rather than against nature, suffuses Dewar and Gicquel’s work, which often depicts animals and habitats coexisting alongside interspersed human-made elements. The chart-like quilts take cues from folk art or early natural history illustrations, where flora and fauna intermingle with items the artists employ in their studio, like thread and sewing machines. Knitted sweaters, woven loafers, and snail shells continue their interest in repetition, receptacles, and protective layers.

Dewar and Gicquel toy with the distinctions between art and function. The traditional purpose of quilts as bed coverings complements sculptures that double as storage, like in “Oak cabinet with woven loafer shoe and leg.” Hats and shoes nod to the garment industry, making a lighthearted comparison between textile’s pliable role throughout fine art, craft, apparel, and decorative arts.

The Weaver and the Spoke continues through May 11. See more on the artists’ Instagram.

 

Craft

Althea Crome’s Miniature Sweaters Test the Limits of Traditional Knitting

Have you ever sent a knit sweater through a dryer cycle and returned to find it a fraction of the size it once was? Well, think even smaller. Althea Crome’s incredibly detailed miniature sweaters didn’t shrink in a dryer but were instead created stitch by stitch with scrupulous dexterity over hundreds of hours.

The Indiana-based fiber artist began knitting in college and refined her skills by frequenting knitting shops. Crome was eager to learn new methods, and like many who are part of knitting communities, the artist was happily welcomed with advice, knowledge, and guidance. Mastering one technique meant moving onto another, and when it came to constantly challenging herself, Crome always rose to the occasion.

As time went on, she eventually found herself in the throes of micro-knitting. For Crome, there was something particularly stimulating and liberating about knitting small. Designing tiny garments and being able to knit them relatively quickly provided instant gratification. As she continued to create increasingly small and detailed pieces, her practice began to evolve.

 

In comparison to the average knit sweater that holds about four to eight stitches per inch, Crome has achieved a gauge of more than 80 stitches per inch, meticulously entwining extremely fine silk in different hues. For “Nativity II,” the artist blended over 70 individual colors of thread to achieve detailed shading effects.

Crome is inspired by iconic works such as Van Gogh’s “Starry Night,” ancient Greek amphoras, and Warhol’s soup cans. Before starting each miniature garment, she first designs her own pattern, then she works underneath a high-powered magnifier, using minuscule knitting needles that she made herself from high-tensile-strength surgical steel.

“We’re always looking at other people’s art, trying to understand it,” Crome says. “Taking those images and working with a different medium, I just want to dig in further than my eyes. I want to dig in with my hands.” This way, the artist feels closer to the works that influence her, contemplating ideas for some time before testing new skills and bridging the gap between conceptual ideas and physical manifestation.

Find more of Crome’s work on her website. (via Kottke)

 

 

Art Craft

Puppy Dog Eyes and Playful Paws: Misato Sano’s Wooden Sculptures Capture Canine Attitude

From pudgy pugs to a precisely groomed poodle to a deliriously happy Shiba Inu, Misato Sano’s waggish pups emerge from single blocks of wood. The artist (previously) chisels expectant eyes and goofy grins, revealing individual personalities that showcase each breed’s distinctive look and attitude.

Misato views our canine companions as mirrors of our own personalities, and she began making these sculptures as reflections of her own thoughts and emotions, from excitement to worry to longing. Each portrayal channels myriad ways dogs can be free and open in their expressions of devotion, passion, and play.

Her solo exhibition will open this October at Cyg Gallery in Morioka City, Iwate, Japan. Find more on the artist’s website and Instagram.