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    Monumental Tapestries by Jacqueline Surdell Invoke Forests as Portals to the Divine

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    “Suddenly, she was hell-bent and ravenous (after Giotto)” (2024), nylon cord, steel, polyester fabric, steel spool top, steel chain and meat hooks, 165 (body) x 252 (pole to pole) x 7 inches. All images courtesy of Secrist | Beach, shared with permission

    Monumental Tapestries by Jacqueline Surdell Invoke Forests as Portals to the Divine

    October 1, 2025

    Art

    Grace Ebert

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    Jacqueline Surdell (previously) likens her process of looping and knotting rope to painting. She considers a roving line of interwoven fiber to be that of a gesture, one that might surge and swell across a canvas.

    A lifelong athlete, Surdell gravitates toward a demanding, physical practice that often turns her body into a shuttle as she weaves on an oversized loom from a lift. Monumental steel bars stretching more than 20 feet wide hold the resulting hefty compositions of industrial nylon and cotton cording, which the artist creates through repetitive movement not unlike that which goes into training for competition.

    Detail of “Suddenly, she was hell-bent and ravenous (after Giotto)” (2024), nylon cord, steel, polyester fabric, steel spool top, steel chain, and meat hooks, 165 (body) x 252 (pole to pole) x 7 inches

    Surdell incorporates a range of influences into her latest body of work on view at Secrist | Beach in Chicago. For her solo exhibition, The Conversion: Rings, Rupture, and the Forest Archive, the artist takes transformation and reverence as a starting point. In particular, she draws on what she calls “a cosmic connection” to her great uncle Paul, with whom she shares a birthday and who died in a forested area during the Battle of the Bulge.

    Connecting nature to narrative, the artist also loops in her Catholic upbringing and biblical undertones, particularly as it relates to places of epiphany. She considers forests to be “sacred thresholds,” and in this line of thinking, her dynamic works become portals to the divine. “Looking out into the forest is very different from a painting of the forest because it is more about storytelling and mythmaking,” she shares in a video interview.

    Printed polyester fabric makes several appearances in this new body of work. A photographic snapshot of sunlight streaming through a lush forest canopy augments the darkened “Penance of Leaves,” while “Paul” features a vivid sunset. Nature, for Surdell, is not passive. Instead, it’s an active participant in preserving collective memory and an inviting site for transcendence.

    The Conversion is on view through November 15. Find more from Surdell on Instagram.

    “Paul” (2025), nylon cord, cotton cord, polyester fabric, and steel, 90 x 140 x 12 inches

    Detail of “Penance of Leaves” (2025), nylon cord, cotton cord, polyester fabric, and steel, 74 x 81 x 15 inches

    “Penance of Leaves” (2025), nylon cord, cotton cord, polyester fabric, and steel, 74 x 81 x 15 inches

    Detail of “My Roman Empire” (2025), cotton cord, nylon cord, and steel, 74 x 90 x 12 inches

    “Desire Path” (2025), nylon cord, cotton cord, polyester fabric, steel, 49 x 73 x 7 inches

    “My Roman Empire” (2025), cotton cord, nylon cord, and steel, 74 x 90 x 12 inches

    Detail of “Suddenly, she was hell-bent and ravenous (after Giotto)” (2024), nylon cord, steel, polyester fabric, steel spool top, steel chain, and meat hooks, 165 (body) x 252 (pole to pole) x 7 inches

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      In Immersive Mixed-Media Tapestries, Lillian Blades Reflects on Pattern and Presence

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      Detail of “Perennial” (2024). Photo by Cydney Maria Rhines. All images courtesy of the artist and SAM, shared with permission

      In Immersive Mixed-Media Tapestries, Lillian Blades Reflects on Pattern and Presence

      June 18, 2025

      Art

      Kate Mothes

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      Reveling in the interplay of light, material, and space, Lillian Blades creates expansive and immersive installations that reflect on how we experience pattern and texture. Through the Veil, now on view at Sarasota Art Museum, marks the artist’s first institutional solo exhibition, bringing together a sweeping array of the Atlanta-based artist’s large-scale works.

      Blades takes a multimedia approach to tapestry, combining fabric, stained glass, wood, acrylic, and found materials to create glimmering surfaces. She suspends some pieces from the ceiling, meandering through the gallery space like mixed-media curtains, while other assemblages hang on the wall. Colored light bounces onto the floor, and the loose latticework casts dramatic shadows onto the surrounding walls.

      “Perennial” (2024)

      “My patchwork veils are wired tapestries of images and texture…I want it to feel complex but simple at the same time,” Blades says. “I want the details and the objects to carry memory and trigger viewers into thinking about their associations with certain patterns and textures.”

      Through the Veil continues in Sarasota through October 26. Find more on the artist’s website and Instagram.

      Installation view of ‘Through the Veil’ at Sarasota Art Museum

      The artist working in her studio. Photo by Marie Thomas

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    • 138 Shares199 Views

      in Art

      From Computer Keys and Bottle Caps, Moffat Takadiwa’s Tapestries Collapse Geographies

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      “Age of Exploration” (2024), computer keys and toothbrush head in plastic, 43 5/16 × 94 1/2 × 1 15/16 inches

      From Computer Keys and Bottle Caps, Moffat Takadiwa’s Tapestries Collapse Geographies

      October 23, 2024

      ArtSocial Issues

      Kate Mothes

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      For the past ten years, Moffat Takadiwa has collected discarded computer keyboards, toothbrushes, pens, and bottle caps among numerous other objects. He conceives of sweeping, abstract forms that from a distance emphasize curving, organic forms and pops of color. Up close, the pieces reveal deconstructed, everyday items bound into expansive tapestries.

      Based in Mbare, a working-class suburb of Harare, Zimbabwe, Takadiwa taps into the city’s informal economy of recycling and reselling the vast quantities of second-hand electronics and plastics imported from Europe.

      Detail of “Age of Exploration”

      Since the late 20th century, artists like El Anatsui, Ifeoma U. Anyaeji, and Takadiwa have comprised a dynamic movement of African artists who work exclusively with recycled or repurposed materials.

      In his solo exhibition, The Reverse Deal at Semiose, the artist continues his exploration of the legacy of colonialism, geography and global trade, and the visual potential of language. The title reads like a trade agreement, nodding to historical economic and political maneuvers by European nations to control the flow of goods through colonized African regions.

      The computer keys represent what the artist describes as a decolonized vocabulary, connecting the present to the past while addressing the nature of interdependent communities around the world.

      “Moffat Takadiwa’s works are akin to algorithms relentlessly producing variants of the same narrative,” says curator N’Gonné Fall in the exhibition statement.

      “Yellow for Gold” (2024), toothbrush heads, belt buckles, and computer keys, 92 15/16 × 74 7/16 × 3 15/16 inches

      The artist consistently returns to the motif of the circle, invoking a symbol of infinity and a universal form found in everyday objects. The shape also mirrors of the outline of Great Zimbabwe, the medieval capital of a kingdom that spanned present-day Zimbabwe and Mozambique.

      He is fascinated by the role of waterways as transport routes for goods, both historically and today, and the way vestiges of colonialism continue to impact contemporary society.

      The Reverse Deal in Paris through November 16. Takadiwa is also represented by Nicodim, where you can explore more of his large-scale works, and find more on the artist’s Instagram.

      “Belt re-simbi/metal belt” (2024), plastic computer and calculator keys and belt buckles, 57 1/16 × 143 11/16 × 5 7/8 inches

      Installation view of ‘The Reverse Deal’ at Semiose, Paris

      “White Circle” (2023), computer keys in plastic, 69 11/16 × 69 11/16 inches

      “The tobacco farms” (2024), computer and calculator keys, bottle tops, and toothbrushes in plastic, 78 3/4 × 57 1/16 × 1 15/16 inches

      “White toothpaste b” (2024), tubes of toothpaste, defunct bank notes, and metal belt buckles, 21 5/8 × 19 11/16 × 19 11/16 inches

      Installation view of ‘The Reverse Deal’ at Semiose, Paris

      Detail of “KoreKore Handwriting III” (2023), computer keys and toothbrush heads in plastic, 100 13/16 × 67 11/16 inches

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    • 138 Shares189 Views

      in Art

      Emily Van Hoff Sculpts Facets of Color in Vibrant, Dimensional Quilts

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      All images courtesy of Emily Van Hoff, shared with permission

      Emily Van Hoff Sculpts Facets of Color in Vibrant, Dimensional Quilts

      October 21, 2024

      ArtCraftDesign

      Kate Mothes

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      For Emily Van Hoff (previously), the possibilities of quilts extend far beyond two dimensions. From geometric tapestries to faceted weavings and sculptural constructions, the artist traverses a wide array of textile forms.

      “I love giving my quilts more visual weight,” Van Hoff tells Colossal. “I like when they feel more chunky and object-like… So I’ve been exploring a variety of ways to accomplish that.”

      Van Hoff often revisits original sketches and offcuts of earlier pieces, puzzling together new works with a variety of textures, hues, and configurations. One striking recent experiment takes the shape of three chain links, which can be displayed in various orientations by sliding the components around, revealing unique angles and color combinations.

      “Some of my wall hangings have also used pieces that sort of overlap and weave through each other,” Van Hoff says, “and the chain link is the continuation of that idea as well.”

      The artist recently announced a line of quilting fabric she designed for Moda Fabrics titled Groove, which will be available in stores starting in May next year. The collection expands on her vibrant palette and playful, squiggly motifs.

      “My background is in graphic design,” Van Hoff says. “I’ve always loved textile design, and I worked in a fabric shop in high school, so this is a real dream-come-true moment!”

      Explore more on the artist’s website, where she adds pieces to her shop from time to time, and follow updates on Instagram.

      ‘Groove’ series of designs for Moda Fabrics

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    • 138 Shares169 Views

      in Art

      Tender Embroidered Portraits by Ruth Miller Are Tinged with Expressive Colors

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      Art
      #embroidery
      #portraits
      #tapestryJanuary 20, 2022Grace Ebert“Congregants,” 20 x 35 inches. All images © Ruth Miller, shared with permissionBeginning with a line drawing in pencil, U.S.-based artist Ruth Miller renders hand-embroidered portraits based on photos. Her wool tapestries and thread drawings layer stitches in yarns of both realistic and fanciful colors, creating expressive depictions that use the material’s texture to enhance light and shadow. “Coupled with realistic drawing, that tiny amount of physical depth brings the images closer, giving them a more immediate sense of presence… In the months that they’re still in my studio, the stories they tell become more concrete and nuanced in my mind, just as they would in a steadily lengthening conversation,” the artist writes.Miller’s works are often life-sized and take months to complete, a process she details on her site. “At work, I spend a good deal of time simply looking; first seeing, then wondering,” she shares. “Each of the pieces you see on this page changed me as the narratives within them took form within me.” (via Women’s Art)“The Impossible Dream is the Gateway to Self-Love”Left: “Teacup Fishing,” hand-embroidered wool on fabric, 58 x 31 inches. Right: “Our Lady of Unassailable Well-being,” hand-embroidered wool on fabric, 19 x 21 inchesDetail of “Teacup Fishing,” hand-embroidered wool on fabric, 58 x 31 inches“Duafe”Sketches for “Congregants”Detail of “Unspoken Truths”Photo by Ann Madden
      #embroidery
      #portraits
      #tapestryDo stories and artists like this matter to you? Become a Colossal Member and support independent arts publishing. Join a community of like-minded readers who are passionate about contemporary art, help support our interview series, gain access to partner discounts, and much more. Join now! Share this story  More