Unravel - The Power & Politics of Textile Art

Textiles cover and protect us, engage our senses, trigger our memories, represent our beliefs, hold our stories. We are wrapped in cloth when we’re born and enshrouded in it when we die. As an artistic medium, textiles can speak to the joys and pains of being human, as well as the larger structures and systems that shape our world.

In this major group exhibition, 50 international, intergenerational artists use textiles to communicate vital ideas about power, resistance and survival. From intimate hand-crafted pieces to monumental sculptural installations, these works offer narratives of violence, imperialism and exclusion alongside stories of resilience, love and hope.

There is also an opportunity to view a new artwork by Ibrahim Mahama which transforms het Lakeside Terrace, enveloping the building’s iconic concrete walls with approximately 2000 square metres of bespoke woven cloth.

Purple Hibiscus has been created in collaboration with hundreds of craftspeople from Tamale in Ghana where the colossal panels of pink and purple fabric have been woven and sewn by hand, to be fitted to the brutalist planes of the building. Find out more here.

Everyone is Welcome!

Itinerary

11.00 - Meet at main entrance for a short introduction / meet and greet.

11.10 – 1.30 - Visit exhibition

1.30 – 2.30 -Lunch – We usually go for lunch at the venue café one of the nearby cafes if you prefer you can bring a packed lunch.

2.30 – 4.00 – Re-visit exhibition an spend some time looking further and do some sketching if you wish.

4.00 Meet for coffee for review of the study day.

4.30 Finish

Tickets

Students are responsible for purchasing tickets for this event - please book for the 11am slot.

Tickets and further information can be found here.

The Art Gallery is located on Level 3 and can be accessed by stairs and lifts from Level G or via the Sculpture Court if coming from outside. Please do let us know if you have any access needs we need to be aware of. Email studyevents@oca.ac.uk