Textile Art: Weaving Stories Through Fabric

My Saturday morning activity was a mixed media and textile art workshop at the  Koninklijk Museum voor Schone Kunsten Antwerpen which inspired me to write this short blog. I have been dabbling around with textiles a short while, and even wrote about it in my blog Fabric Becoming Art, but now understand it a little better.

(From beginning to end: inspired by by a painting of Pyke Koch, "H-Hour III" (1971), a grim interpretation of a Russian paratrooper attack on an elite golf course. In the painting, the parachutes dropped armed vehicles and there is a body in the foreground. My interpretation was more optimistic with interesting fabrics, even a piece of lace to bring light into the piece. And for contrast, silver loose flowing yarn from the parachutes! You may even choose to think that it is a scene from the ocean and that the parachutes actually are octopuses!)

What is textile art?

It is art made of fabric, thread, and fibers, using techniques like weaving, embroidery, quilting, or mixed media. It combines tradition and innovation, turning everyday materials into new art works of expression. Textile art is a very old art form, but under explored.

A Tradition as Old as Humanity

Textiles have been part of humanity for millennia. Across the world, textile traditions emerged that became tied to identity: Persian carpets, Kitenge fabrics of East Africa, Shweshwe fabrics of South Africa, Japanese kimonos, and European tapestries. Each culture developed its own “textile language”, where motifs, colours, and techniques expressed heritage, beliefs, and social status.

Techniques and Materials

The methods of textile art are varied. It traditionally was weaving, embroidery, felting, knitting, crochet, quilting, appliqué, and dyeing, but contemporary artists often combine techniques or incorporate unconventional materials.

The choice of material varies from natural fibres such as cotton, silk, wool to synthetic fibres. But increasingly artists start to recycled fabrics and discarded textiles, making sustainability an integral part of their creative process. In doing so, they highlight issues of waste, consumerism, and ecological responsibility.

A piece may become a canvas for a story. A wonderful example of this is Ode to Forgetting done by Louise Bourgeois where she used linen from her bridal chest to help her process traumas from her past.

Textile Art as Storytelling

Textile art is interwoven with personal and collective memory, e.g. a quilts made from family clothing preserve the history of the family members. Embroidery captures daily life or important life events! Textile traditions can be passed down through generations, creating a shared lineage of craft and artistry.

Textile art also can be used to address social and political issues. From protest banners stitched with powerful messages to installations with themes of migration, gender, or identity, fabric becomes a strong medium for activism.

From Craft to Fine Art

For much of history, textile work was dismissed as “women’s work” or relegated to the realm of craft rather than fine art. But over the past century, artists, curators, and scholars have challenged these hierarchies. Textile art now occupies space in major museums and international exhibitions. Artists such as Anni Albers, Sheila Hicks, and El Anatsui are very diverse artists, all with the commonality of using textiles in their art.

How Will Textiles Impact My Art?

I am not sure. I love fabrics! It is impossible to walk into a fabric shop and not to touch and exclaim about the colour, design and feel of fabrics. I l will continue to explore how I can incorporating textiles with watercolour or acrylic paint, and fineliner pens. Time will tell!