RAW 2021 – SURFACE AND DEPTH

October 26–31, 2021

Palazzo Velli Expo

Rome Art Week Participant

Curators: Cat Frampton, Felicity Griffin Clark, Olga Teksheva

Press Office: Stefania Vaghi Comunicazione

Stitched Art is Art

“Surface and Depth” is the second group exhibition of international artists organized by the Society for Embroidered Work (S.E.W.) and dedicated to contemporary textile art.

The event is part of the official Rome Art Week 2021 program and takes place from October 26 to 31 at Palazzo Velli Expo in Piazza Sant’Egidio, Rome.

Artists—members of the international society—will ship their works from all over the world to participate in this group show. It will be held in a 14th-century palazzo in the heart of Trastevere, one of Rome’s historic districts that has recently become a genuine creative hub for contemporary art—offering a unique blend of medieval surfaces and a soul filled with contemporary energy.

“Depth is not a pure void; it has a certain consistency, a thickness of its own... An artist is capable of expressing this by making it material, giving a ‘body’ to space and depth. Not merely alluding to it, but presenting it as if it were a concrete, material object,” wrote Jacques Rivière in his essay Contemporary Tendencies in Painting.

Through fabrics “sculpted” as if they were stone, the three-dimensional stitches of experimental embroidery, and the various found objects incorporated by S.E.W. artists into their work, the space and depth of contemporary embroidery take on a new meaning of materiality. In just a few years, we have witnessed rapid growth in the international art market for textile and fiber works—or "stitched art," a category that encompasses contemporary embroidery. Artists of an older generation, such as Sheila Hicks and Olga De Amaral, have become true stars of the international contemporary art scene. Simultaneously, a new generation of artists has emerged, using textile materials and fibers as mediums for artistic expression. A new generation of collectors has also formed—one that no longer adheres to rigid distinctions between "fine art," "contemporary craft," and "objects." The boundaries that once separated painting, sculpture, textiles, hand-weaving, and embroidery have vanished. The touch of an artist’s hand using stitches is now as appreciated and savored by art critics and collectors as a brushstroke once was. It signifies mastery and a blend of artistic and artisanal expertise, revealing the skilled individual behind the object or artwork. "Surface and Depth" showcases a "new wave" of artists who use thread as if it were paint or sculptural form. These artists expand our vision of what contemporary embroidery is and what it can become. The outdated notion of embroidery as mere "decoration" or "craft" is upended—if not entirely shattered—by these extraordinary artists. They dedicate their practice to significant social, scientific, and environmental themes, imbuing embroidery with a meaning that goes far beyond mere "surface."

The Society for Embroidered Work was founded in 2018 and now boasts 600 selected members across 43 countries. These artists create powerful, sometimes provocative works that challenge the traditional perception of embroidery within the fine art world. The Society’s primary aim is to promote stitched art as a high art form and to spread the idea that working with needle and thread is on par with using any other artistic medium, such as a pencil or paintbrush.

“Surface and Depth” showcases the exceptional quality of the works and the extensive research undertaken by these artists. The exhibition features experimental artworks centered on the theme specified by the curators. With around 70 artists from 13 countries presenting a mix of sculptures and framed pieces, the exhibition offers viewers a unique world of art that is diverse, unexpected, and bold.

The exhibiting artists are (in alphabetical order):

Ailish Henderson,

Alicja Kozlowska,

Alison Wake,

Anne Kelly,

Antje Rook,

Assunta Miles,

Ausra Merkelyte,

Bridget Steel Jessop,

Camila Jofre,

Carrie Donohoe,

Cat Frampton,

Christina MacDonald,

Clarke Reynolds,

Courtney Cox,

Dagmar Stap,

Deborah Collum,

Dionne Swift,

Edith Barton,

Emma Pannell,

Felicity Griffin Clark,

Haf Weighton,

Harpa Jonsdottir,

Heidi Ingram,

Helyne Jennings,

Imogen Rhodes-Davies,

Isabel Greenslade,

Jackie Hamilton,

Jessica Grady,

Jinny Ly,

Jolanda Drukker Murray,

Josephine Sams,

Julia O’Connell,

Julie French,

Julieanne Long,

Karen Byrne,

Kim McCormack,

Korey Rowswell,

Kristine Stattin,

Lin Belaunde Morla

Linda McBain Cuyler,

Maria Constanza Villareal,

Marian Jazmik,

Matthew Downham,

Michael Sylvan Robinson,

Nancy Cole,

Nathalie Frost,

Olga Teksheva,

Philippa Ashcroft,

Pippa Hamilton,

Rachel Gillard-Jones,

Renee Toonen,

Rhian Swierat,

Rima Day,

Rozalie Sherwood,

Sarah J. Hull,

Sharon Cavalier,

Sharon Peoples,

Silvia Perramon Rubio,

Sue Lancaster,

Susan Shafrir,

Suzanne Campbell,

Sylvie Millen,

Violet Shirran,

Wolfgang Woerner,

Zane Shumeiko,

Zelda Cunningham