Stitches
Armory Center for the Arts
Caldwell Gallery
145 N. Raymond Ave.
Pasadena, CA | View Map
April 11 – June 13, 2010 Opening: Saturday, April 10th, 7-9pm Hours: Tuesday-Sunday, Noon-5pm Curator: Sinead Finnerty-Pyne
The Armory Center for the Arts presents Stitches, a group exhibition exploring contemporary art approaches to the techniques of sewing, knitting and weaving. Participating artists include Jane Brucker, Lauren DiCioccio, Elisabeth Higgins O’Connor, Ruby Osorio, Titus Kaphar, Nuttaphol Ma, Ulrike Palmbach, Maria E. Pineres, Dinh Q. Le, Jim Richards, Elias Sime, and Nicola Vruwink. The exhibition will include two dimensional and freestanding sculptural works as well as large scale site-specific installations.
Previously exploring art deconstructed through cutting in her 2009 exhibition Under the Knife, Finnerty-Pyne now explores construction through various forms of stitching. From sewing to knitting, crocheting and weaving, Stitches highlights the visions and practices of twelve culturally diverse artists working with principles and applications inspired by craft, textile, and fiber art. The exhibiting artists share an unconventional approach to these versatile and often obsessive art forms by creating process and material-based works utilizing substances ranging from yarn and thread, to found objects and recycled clothing.
Stitches aims to illustrate the sophistication and complexity of work that has evolved out of the twenty-first century global curiosity with domestic practice – in some cases, descended from feminist practice in the last part of the twentieth century. The work in the exhibition stands in contrast to concurrent fascinations with slick fabricated and computer generated works. In a world where mass-production seems to have peaked, these artists, both male and female, embrace these once antiquated and homespun techniques and experiment with how far they can push them physically, metaphorically, and conceptually.
Press Photos Click thumbnails to access full, high resolution images suitable for print. Please note that high resolution images will launch in a new window.
Ulrike Palmbach Hive, 2004-2005
Army blankets, thread, steel, wire
65 x 45 x 40"
Image courtesy of the artist and Stephen Wirtz Gallery, San Francisco
Maria E. Piñeres NASCAR, 2010
Ink jet print on archival matt paper
43" x 129"
Image courtesy of the artist and Walter Maciel Gallery, Los Angeles CA
Lauren DiCioccio Pair (35mm slide), 2010
Hand-embroidery on organza, pleather
2" x 2"
Image courtesy of the artist and Jack Fischer Gallery, San Francisco CA
Elias Simé Tinziza 1, 2006
Buttons on stitched canvas
67" x 36"
Image courtesy of the artist and Zoma Contemporary Art Center, Ethiopia
Titus Kaphar Tina Vesper, 2009
Oil on canvas with wood, unstretched canvas, thread and string
25 x 15 x 6 in.
Image courtesy of Roberts & Tilton Culver City, CA
Elisabeth Higgins O'Connor No Name (Pink Fleece), 2010
Blankets, pillows, knit Afghans, bedsheets, bath towels, plastic tarp, twine, string, thread
76" x 60" x 48"
Courtesy of the artist
Photo John Wilson White
Artist Video Spotlight: Nuttaphol Ma "piano loom, Tchaikovsky's cocoon . 10apr10" is a site specific installation where Thai-born, Los Angeles based artist Nuttaphol Ma transforms a former ammunition vault at the Armory Center for the Arts into a piano room.
Artist Video Spotlight: Elias Simé Here's a fabulous and insightful video of Stitches exhibiting artist Elias Simé, an Ethiopia-based artist whose 2009 solo exhibit at the Santa Monica Museum of Art—curated by multi-disciplinary arts impresario Peter Sellars—was incredibly well received by critics and the public alike.
Artist Video Spotlight: Titus Kaphar Here's a brief video interview with Stitches exhibiting artist Titus Kaphar from April 3rd, 2009—the opening day of his exhibition History in the Making at the Seattle Art Museum.
Stitches
