For the final installment of the AW7 Preview series, we feature the artwork of Sue Cunningham from Stawell, Victoria.
Her latest body of artwork has been exploring the relationship of memory embedded in cloth: discolorations, fraying, old fabrics and patterns all bear testimony to times gone by. She has been attempting to record the passing of time using old family utilitarian linens (hand towels, tea towels, aprons and rugs), with information from textbooks of the associated eras. The How To Dress A Doll booklet, published in 1908, taught the exacting hand sewn dressmaking skills which young girls were expected to learn in preparation for their domestic lives as adults. The pattern pieces in Layout 1 are a social commentary, along with the repetitive basting stitches writ large. Passage of time is documented in an abstract way by the slow method of hand stitching, which is a record of time spent executing a work of art.
Australia Wide Seven premieres at Belconnen Arts Centre from 30 October until 18 December 2020. The opening is at 6pm on Friday 30 October. All welcome! This is a free ticketed event. Book for the opening now.
AW7 Preview is a series of daily blog posts from 24 September to 30 October 2020 that will feature an artist and preview their artwork from the Ozquilt Network members’ exhibition Australia Wide Seven. The exhibition will premiere at Belconnen Arts Centre from 30 October-18 December 2020 and continue on tour until September 2022. Please direct any exhibition queries to AW7@ozquiltnetwork.org.au
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