Radical Textiles blockbuster poses hard questions around supposedly ‘soft’ medium
The Art Gallery of South Australia’s blockbuster exhibition doesn’t hold back in showcasing artists who have used textiles to proudly, and at times defiantly, make their mark.
Installation view: ‘Radical Textiles’, Art Gallery of South Australia, Adelaide. L-R: tapestry works Votes for Women and Equal Before the Law (1993-4), designed by Kay Lawrence as part of the Women’s Suffrage Centenary Tapestries, Parliament of South Australia, and ‘NELL ANNE QUILT’ (2020-24), community quilt, mixed media, by Nell. Photo: Saul Steed.
It’s a gutsy move these days to frame a major visual art exhibition around the idea of being ‘radical’.
For a start, the disruptive times in which we are living mean there is no shortage of ‘radical’ actions playing out around us – both in the art world and in society at large.
What’s more, a clear definition of the term ‘radical’ – especially in the art contexts – is one that is wide open for debate.
ArtsHub's Arts Feature Writer Jo Pickup is based in Perth. An arts writer and manager, she has worked as a journalist and broadcaster for media such as the ABC, RTRFM and The West Australian newspaper, contributing media content and commentary on art, culture and design. She has also worked for arts organisations such as Fremantle Arts Centre, STRUT dance, and the Aboriginal Arts Centre Hub of WA, as well as being a sessional arts lecturer at The Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts (WAAPA).
