Image by Louise Wells

Space 3
Material Things
Tenford Textile Collective

Exhibition dates. 17 - 28 Nov 2021
Opening night. Thu 18 Nov 2021, 6 - 8pm

It’s often the material things that provide the essence of memory.”
― Marjorie Garber

Tenfold Textile Collective will be returning to the Melbourne exhibition scene with their new show ‘Material Things’ at BlackCat Gallery, Fitzroy

‘Material Things’ highlights the unique capacity, and oft-overlooked power of textiles to generate, evoke and preserve memories. Embodying intimacy, the works absorb and retain the smells, shapes and colours of their surroundings. The artists capture traditions and unlock connections with the past to bring meaning and value to the present. Tenfold Textile Collective presents an exploration of personal and collective memories; deconstructed, reconstructed and imagined; invisible and hidden.

Each artist is responding to the concept using their chosen craft-based techniques such as weave, quilting, stitching, eco-printing and paper pulp. The works feature natural fibres, found objects and materials, along with repurposed family heirlooms and domestic textiles. Co-founder Lisa Mori – a weaver whose piece ‘Noemi’ is reconstructed from hemp bedsheets handwoven by her Italian grandmother – says “I’m excited to be showing our work again. The pandemic period has been such a hard time for many artists so it’s wonderful to be able to return to gallery exhibitions. Textiles are such a tactile medium that there really is no substitute for seeing the pieces in real life rather than through a screen.”
This is the fourth show for the group of artists, who met while studying Textile Design and Development at RMIT. Joining them this time are two guests. The first is Louise Wells, a textile artist from Western Australia whose techniques include dye, print, stitch, fabric manipulation and layering, often leaving raw, cut, and frayed edges to create texture. The second is Avrille Burrows – a Melbourne -based multidisciplinary artist whose current work weaves together naturally dyed yarn and incorporates strands of hair from her matrilineal line. Avrille's experience as mother, migrant and woman of colour are consistent subjects that surface across her work.

The Tenfold Textile Collective members draw inspiration from encouraging, challenging and supporting each other’s practices. They exhibit together on a regular basis, amplifying their voices and inviting others into their stories.
Each artist brings different aesthetics, techniques and life experiences to their shared love of textiles and commitment to social justice and sustainability – themes that recur in their group shows. The group’s work is process driven – where the acts of making and exploring, and the experience of creating are outcomes in themselves.
Their aim is to continue to learn and develop together, alongside their individual practices, and to be part of the movement bringing contemporary textile art to a wider audience.

Tenfold Textile Collective acknowledges the land on which we practice is Aboriginal land and sovereignty was never ceded. This land was and will always be Aboriginal land.

Artists:

Avrille Burrows
Tara Glastonbury
Louise Hicks
Rose Kulak
Korina Leoncio
Lisa Mori
Jem Olsen
Ana Petidis
Morgana Robb
Louise Wells
Sarah Williams

Exhibition view