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Ronnie Martin with Susan Heydon’s work, Gravity, at the Changing Threads Exhibition at the Refinery ArtSpace in Hardy St.
Living through tumultuous times has inspired textile artists to “stretch their imaginations” for a national competition.
Whanganui artist Kate Sellar’s lichen-inspired work took the top prize at the Changing Threads Contemporary Textile & Fibre Art Awards in Nelson.
The competition and exhibition at Refinery ArtSpace, now in its 14th year, features 37 works from 31 artists from around the country, competing for a prize pool of over $8000.
Event co-ordinator Ronnie Martin said Changing Threads challenged the public’s perception of fabric and textile art.
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For artists, the challenge was to “stretch their imaginations”; experimenting with materials and presentation, Martin said. That meant using anything from wools and silks to less conventional materials like wire and plastic.
Each show had a slightly different feel, and the current exhibition spoke of living through a tumultuous pandemic period, she said.
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Kate Sellar’s Stains of Time, which won the top prize, kept judges coming back for another look, said Martin.
“A lot of pieces reflect finding your sense of place in the world, the confusion around us, and growing older in troubled times: how the life people expected to be living is not necessarily the case.”
Another theme was environmental concern, as evinced by Kate Sellar’s winning piece.
Stains of Time is designed to resemble lichen, and features 3D printed motifs, and stitching on felt and tulle.
Sensitive to atmospheric pollution, “lichen’s health is a reflection on the environment”, Martin said. Sellar’s work featured “tiny details” showing lichen’s structure and patterns but also the impacts of pollution.
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Giles Panting’s Legacy: Deconstruct/Reconstruct played with scale, enlarging delicate lace patterns.
“It’s a work that seems simple but is very complex. When a piece encourages you to come back and look closely it’s a worthy winner.”
Māpua-based textile artist Giles Panting won the Bernina New Zealand Prize for the most creative use of a sewing machine with his piece Legacy: Deconstruct/Reconstruct.
Referencing traditional lace patterns, Panting played with scale, enlarging the delicate shapes to give his piece a “strong graphic quality,” Martin said.