VIEWING ROOM: UNRAVELED CONFRONTING THE FABRIC OF FIBER ART The Untitled Space

UNRAVELED

Confronting The Fabric of Fiber Art

Online Viewing Room:

UNRAVELED:

Confronting The Fabric of Fiber Art

GALLERY EXHIBITION
April 17- May 28, 2021

ONLINE EXHIBITION
April 17- July 17, 2021

The Untitled Space is pleased to present “UNRAVELED: Confronting The Fabric of Fiber Art” a group show opening on April 17th and on view through May 28th, 2021. Curated by Indira Cesarine, the exhibition features textile and fiber-based artworks by more than 40 contemporary artists. “UNRAVELED: Confronting The Fabric of Fiber Art” explores in depth the themes and techniques of the medium through the works of female-identifying artists working with natural and synthetic fiber, fabric, and yarn. The exhibition presents figurative and abstract works that address our lived experience and history through the lens of women weaving, knotting, twining, plaiting, coiling, pleating, lashing, and interlacing. Narratives of self-identification, race, religion, gender, sexuality, our shared experience, as well as protest and the patriarchy are literally “unraveled” through embroidery, felt, woven and hooked rugs, braided and sewn hair, sewn fabrics, discarded clothing, cross-stitching, repurposed materials and more.

Exhibiting Artists: Amber Doe, Carol Scavotto, Caroline Wayne, Christy O’Connor, Daniela Puliti, Delaney Conner, Dominique Vitali, Elise Drake, Elizabeth Miller, Hera Haesoo Kim, Indira Cesarine, Jamia Weir, Jody MacDonald, Julia Brandão, Kathy Sirico, Katie Cercone, Katie Commodore, Katrina Majkut, Katy Itter, Kelly Boehmer, Linda Friedman Schmidt, Lisa Federici, Marianne Fairbanks, Mary Tooley Parker, Melanie Fischer, Melissa Zexter, Mychaelyn Michalec, Mz Icar, Orly Cogan, Robin Kang, Rosemary Meza-DesPlas, Ruta Naujalyte, Sally Hewett, Sarah Blanchette, Sooo-z Mastropietro, Sophie Boggis-Rolfe, Stacy Isenbarger, Stephanie Eche, Victoria Selbach, and Winnie van der Rijn.

PRESS RELEASE

Install View of “UNRAVELED: Confronting The Fabric of Fiber Art” exhibition at The Untitled Space

unravel [ uhn-rav-uhl ] to separate or disentangle the threads of (a woven or knitted fabric, a rope, etc.). to free from complication or difficulty; make plain or clear; solve: to unravel a situation; to unravel a mystery.
“UNRAVELED: Confronting the Fabric of Fiber Art” investigates the narratives of contemporary fiber artists. The exhibition brings together a diverse group of artists who each address through their own personal vision, materials, and methods, works that are deeply rooted in the history of feminism, in the intersection of art and craft, addressing our living experiences and personal languages. We live in a world of extremes – on one hand, the pandemic has brought forth an intensity on digital and online programming peaking with the emergence of NFT art, and on the opposite end of the spectrum we are seeing a return to the comforts of the home and along with it a renaissance of organic and handmade artworks that embody that spirit. The laborious and repetitive methods required to create one work of fiber art can take hundreds of hours yet equally the creation process is often referred to as a mediative act of healing, allowing for an expressive personal and cultural interrogation.
Fibers have been an integral part of human civilization for thousands of years. Textile art is one of the oldest art forms, dating back to prehistoric times. Despite early works of textiles such as embroideries and tapestries having been made by both men and women, the tradition of textiles and needlework evolved into that of “women’s work” and was not only dismissed as not “important” but was literally banned from the high art world by the Royal Academy in the 18^th century (circa 1769). With the rise of the women’s movement as well as technological advances, women reclaimed the medium, subverted its history as a lesser art form, and transformed it into a tool of expression, of protest, of personality. From early suffrage movement embroidered banners to the groundbreaking exhibitions and works of female pioneers such as Bauhaus weaver Anni Alber’s momentous solo show at the Museum of Modern Art in 1949, Lenore Tawney’s exhibition at the Staten Island Museum in 1961 to Judy Chicago’s groundbreaking 1979 work “The Dinner Party”, we have seen the medium evolve and inspire new generations of fiber artists.
“UNRAVELED: Confronting the Fabric of Fiber Art” explores this new wave of female-identifying artists who are using materials ranging from thread and yarn to human hair, fabrics, and discarded clothing, among a range of other components to unravel the “language of thread” with works that provoke and interrogate. Whether drawn from a deeply personal narrative, or rooted in political motivation, each artist weaves, spins, sews, and hooks the viewer with their detailed and intricate textures that communicate and empower. The exhibition presents two and three-dimensional pieces that explore with gravity and humor our contemporary culture, its beauty, flaws, and idiosyncrasies through murals, assemblages, fragile and gestural threads, meditative, and metaphorical fibers. “UNRAVELED: Confronting the Fabric of Fiber Art” pushes the boundaries, investigates ancient as well as new materials and techniques, and presents a contemporary universe of the language of women and their interwoven, progressive vocabulary.” – Curator Indira Cesarine

Mz Icar “As Seen on TV”, “Gems TV”, and “Here’s Everything” 2020 Yarn Poms and Ink, on Canvas and vinyl with hand-sewn finishes – Dimensions Variable

Mz. Icar is an anonymous art collective, comprised primarily of Black Women. Their name is racIzM, backward. They create narratives in the form of mixed-media street art and fine art that explore histories and imagine the best-case scenario future from the perspective of women and people of color. They were established in 2018. Their members comprise of an illustrator, photographer, designer, prop stylist, street artist, and collage artist. They started Mz. Icar to create works that celebrate Women, Global Blackness, and Play.

Elise Drake “Ladies” 2020 Fiber, 3D printed resin, Screens, and Poly – Dimensions 36 × 65 × 42 in

“Elise Drake’s work is a laborious and tactile response to the discriminating binaries implicit in the society in which we live. The work centers around the social, emotional, and existential impact of technology and the imbalance of power in modern-day life. Her focus is on social change, the representation of the real, and what it means to be part of a digital culture that intentionally uses vanity as an obscure panopticon.”

Sally Hewett, “Perfectly Puffy” 2020, Lycra, angelskin, nylon, foam padding, embroidery silk, quilting hoop- Dimensions: 21 × 14 × 6 in Request More Info

“My practice centers around ideas of beauty and ugliness and the conventions which determine our definition of each. I am interested in how we see things and how we interpret what we see: does my particular way of representing bodies, using fabrics, stitching and embroidery, affect how the content of the work is seen? To some extent I see my work as an investigation of the divide between craft and art.” – Sally Hewett

Linda Friedman Schmidt “BENEATH THE SURFACE” 2008, Discarded clothing- Dimensions: 18 × 18 × 1 in. Request More Info

“Discarded clothing is my paint. I give second chances to the worn, the damaged, the mistreated, the abandoned, the unwanted, and to myself. My emotional narrative portraits and figurative artworks examine the human condition through my own lived experience. The violence of cutting and deconstruction make way for the reconstruction and refashioning of a broken past.”
– Linda Friedman Schmidt

Indira Cesarine “Fertility Goddess 1” 2020 – Hand Embroidery on Medium Format Photograph Printed on Rives 100% Cotton Paper – Dimensions 13 × 17 × 1 in

“I have been sewing, stitching and creating with thread since I was a child, although it wasn’t until the pandemic that I had time to experiment with needlework with my artwork. I have always been inspired by the history of “women’s work” and incorporating its vocabulary into my artwork as an inspiring force, using it as a tool for empowerment and honoring its legacy. My threaded photography series “Fertility Goddess” features renowned dancer Katherine Crocket as muse, with each stitch a metaphor for the power of women, not only to give life, but also embracing divine femininity.”
– Indira Cesarine

Caroline Wayne “Deep Creep” 2019 – Felt, glass beads, sequins – Dimensions: 19 × 4 × 9 in. Request More Info

“I pull from my autobiography to illustrate stories of trauma, sexuality, intimacy, and growth. Detailed beading and cyclical patterning emphasize the consistent labor in the repetitive motion of hand-sewing, that which mirrors the emotional and psychic labor expended in order to manage the suffering a body can accumulate over time. My sculptures translate the life experience of a survivor of complex trauma through the lens of glittering beadwork in order to recount deeply traumatic stories for the same cultural collective that due to repression, denial, censorship and deliberate silencing…”
– Caroline Wayne

Mychaelyn Michalec “Some people get stalled in the obvious” 2019-2020 – Tufted yarn on stretched monks cloth- Dimensions 18 × 22 × 1 in

“My work depicts the mundane matters of domestic life. It uses imagery from home life, documented by secretly photographing the scenes around me using an iPhone. Social media has idealized family life, but I try to illustrate moments of both simultaneous disconnect and connections in the everyday. I then translate these scenes into textiles using both mechanical and hand tools; the yarn is injected through the base fabric with a continuous running stitch, leaving loops on the surface that form and follow the drawing of the design. After the tufting is complete, the rugs are then stretched on a frame like a traditional painting. This type of display renders them not utilitarian, but not the same objectness of a painting, and observes a fluidity of boundaries between craft and art.”

-Mychaelyn Michalec

“Delaney Conner’s Femme and Visage series primarily serve as explorations of geometric abstraction and as studies on color fragmentation in the deconstruction of portraiture, focusing mainly on the female form and facial profiles. These works aim to highlight the dichotomy between feeling beautiful and becoming sexualized that women often experience when they are perceived through the oeuvre of modern society. By abstracting identifiable features and removing individual characteristics to varying degrees, the artist explores the perception of the female form. Her mission is to create broadly familiar subjects that reflect femininity as part of the whole rather than the individual.” -Delaney Conner

Katie Cercone “MAGO POETA” 2020, Upcycled clothing, bedsheets, curtains, fabric scraps, sequins, gems, thread and Grandma’s Alice’s bracelet.- Dimensions: 79 × 66 1/2 × 1 in Request More Info

“My ongoing practice encompasses interdisciplinary installation art, assemblage, performance, and socially engaged community ritual. This work is based in my long-term, active engagement cross-pollinating the languages of embodied feminism, yoga, folk-mythologies, the shamanic impulse and holistic hip hop. Given the explosion of yoga in the West and growing “wellness” and “music” industries, as a pioneer of Hip Hop Yoga since 2011 I explore the detrimental ways in which the face of both yoga and popular music culture has become mired in Eurocentric beauty standards, puritanical Christian values and community-eroding mechanisms of consumer capitalism.”.
– Katie Cercone

Orly Cogan “Mystery” 2017, Hand stitched embroidery on vintage linen (stretched)- Dimensions 50 × 44 × 1 in

“I mix subversion with flirtation, humor with power, and intimacy with frivolity. My subject matter is frank and provocative, dealing with issues of fertility, sexuality, self-image, isolation, vulnerability, indulgence, and beauty in the mundane, which are designed to challenge social stereotypes embedded within childhood fairytales. My work explores the many flavors of feminism.” – Orly Cogan

Orly Cogan “Natures Secret” 2017, Hand stitched embroidery on vintage linen (stretched)- Dimensions 50 × 44 × 1 in

“My artwork in the series In Control rejects the stereotypical domestic functionality of samplers. Historically, embroidery prepared women for marriage. Samplers represented domestic skill levels and specific cultural and religious values to potential husbands who sought a woman with the right skills to establish a household – make clothes, darn socks. Cross-stitch was used to advertise and represent specific identities related to womanhood, wifedom and motherhood, but bodily functions, autonomy and diverse lifestyles were not represented in this textile practice even if they were essential to those roles. The “domestic craft” of In Control attempts to directly challenge this by stitching all products related to (but not limited to) women’s health and needs, family planning, and the body with a fully comprehensive, bipartisan and medically honest approach.” -Katrina Majkut

Katie Commodore “Cunt” 2020 Cotton on cotton linen blend fabric- Dimensions: 15 3/8 × 19 7/8 × 1 in

Katie Commodore is an interdisciplinary artist who concentrates on creating intimate portraits of her friends, often focusing on how they express their sexuality. In 2000 Commodore received her BFA in illustration from Maryland Institute College of Art. In 2004 she obtained her MFA in printmaking from Rhode Island School of Design where she is currently an adjunct professor. Commodore has exhibited throughout the United States and Europe, including England, Italy, Germany, and Greece.

“In my practice I explore the connections between contemporary technology, the history of textile fabrication/manufacturing, and its association with ancient spiritual practices. Incorporating graphics drawn from both circuit boards and patterns reminiscent of ancient weaving traditions, my work points to the influence that weaving technologies have had on the development of humanity’s mechanical development and eventually modern computing. Inspired by the influence of Jacquard’s punch card system (developed for his loom) on the creation of early computers, to the hand-woven copper wires found on early memory storage hardware, I visualize how our current technological landscape is closely linked to the history of weaving.” -Robin Kang

Victoria Sellbach “We Women, Panel 5”, 2020 Hardwood, Acrylic, Textile- Dimension 17 × 25 × 1 1/2 in Request more info

“Women are my focus; our diverse generational legacies and our individual experiences. Unravelling the complexities of cultural lineage helps illuminate the present and our complicity in where we find ourselves today. My work celebrates women while it challenges me to consider our path and what I will pass on to my daughters and granddaughters.” -Victoria Sellbach

Amber Doe “The Beautiful Ones” 2020, Kanekalon hair, organic silk, turmeric, cotton- Dimensions 35 × 72 × 2 in.

“I am a multimedia artist who uses sculpture and performance to bear witness to the experiences of black women even as American society aims to render us and our lives as invisible and meaningless. Despite the prevalent “urban black” narrative, my experience is tied to the natural world, and I use materials that reference my desert environment and my lived experience as a black woman with Indigenous roots.” – Artist Amber Doe

Hera Haesoo Kim “The Marble Pin Number 3” 2017 Mixed-layered sponge, pins Dimensions 18 1/10 in diameter – Edition 1/2

“My current work strives to grasp the inexplicable ‘void’ which exists between two seemingly opposite realms – the conscious and subconscious. I define this void as a state where the conscious and subconscious spheres overlap and interlock. Herein lies an ambiguous space where thoughts float in and out, neither the conscious nor the subconscious being the dominant force. In my practice, I aim to create a space to facilitate an audience interaction that allows better understanding of the void.” -Hera Haesoo Kim

Melissa Zexter “Girl on Couch” 2021 Hand sewed c-print with thread, framed – Dimensions 15 × 16 × 1 in– Request More Info

“Melissa Zexter combines embroidery with photography. She sews by hand directly onto photographs she has taken, combining a traditional practical skill, embroidery, with a modern and mass reproducible process, photography. The artist’s fundamental concern is to explore the photograph’s material status as three-dimensional object as well as to examine issues of identity, memory, and technology. Her interest in the creation of hand-crafted, unique photographic objects is related to the proliferation of images in the modern age, one where images – and specifically photographic images – have lost their own object status altogether. Through their manipulations of the image’s surface with embroidery or the partial removal of the emulsion, the photographs become unique, no-longer reproducible objects.”
-Melissa Zexter

Mary Tooley Parker “Marceil, Cynthia, and Ruth at the Pggly Wiggly” 2021, Hooked Tapestry Dimensions: 26 × 35 × 1 in

“Mary Tooley Parker is a textile maker. Her artwork focuses on realistic interpretations of people and nature, whether from memories, local history, or visual images. Incorporated in her work are new and recycled wool, cotton, and silk fabric, fleece, handspun yarn, silk fiber, metallic fibers, and more. She uses natural and synthetic dyes to create colors as needed.” -Mary Tooley Parker

“We are drawn to the grand gesture, the loud assured voice, the bold move, the aggressive brush stroke. I celebrate the opposite: the small moments in our lives – the unremarkable… as Covid-19 took over, some of the things I was celebrating became even more pertinent; toilet paper, soap, hand sanitizer. These objects became signs of hope, of safety, of comfort.” – Artist Melanie Fischer

Daniela Puliti “Fat Shame Men Hanger” 2017, Embroidery thread, fabric, on plastic hnager – Dimensions 9 1/2 × 16 1/2 × 1 in

“Activism has become a growing aspect in her work, as she has engaged in a number of performance protests, garnering the attention of Hyperallergic and Artnet News. Daniela Puliti is an advocate for destigmatizing mental health, fat acceptance, and proudly proclaims herself a strident feminist. She leads workshops sharing her knowledge of knitting and crochet, encouraging craft as an emotional survival skill and coping mechanism for anxiety and depression.” -Daniela Puliti

Jelia Gueramian, “Large Kitten Piece”, 2021 Request more info

“I like to inspire exploration. I create alternate worlds and invite people to lose themselves in them: awaken their senses, feel like a kid, be in the moment, laugh or be a little scared, stop and ask a question, get involved in a fantasy, believe in the magical. The found materials I use whether from my past or someone else’s past are a catalyst point. These items often have a sense of comfort and help us recognize things that may have been a part of our childhood or past. This helps the viewer transport back to a time and place and feel those feelings all over again.”
-Jeila Gueramian

Dominique Vitali “Stigmata” 2017, Embroidery on antique gloves, framed – Dimensions 18 × 22 × 1 in. Request More Info

“My work focuses on my personal experience living within the confines of a female body, exploring sexuality, religion, and body image. The shared narratives of childbirth, menstruation, dysmorphia, sexual violation, and societal scrutiny all come into play and find connections with the viewers in their shared commonality.”
– Artist Dominique Vitali

Sally Hewett “Opal Nips” 2018, Lycra, angelskin, foam padding, embroidery silk, Primark bra, Opal nipple bars 25 × 14 × 6 in

“I love bodies. And it is not the conventionally beautiful bodies that take my eye, it is bodies which show their history, that have been altered by their experiences, that are decorated with bruises, scars, spots, stretch marks, freckles, pigmentation, veins. Bodies that have the marks of life on them. But also bodies which have been deliberately altered and decorated – by man rather than by life – scarification, tattoos, plastic surgery, fillers, etc. Are some characteristics of bodies inherently beautiful, or ugly, or disgusting? Or because we see everything through the veil of culture, fashion and convention is it almost impossible for us to see bodies objectively?” -Sally Hewett

Kathy Sirico, “Bubble” 2020 Acrylic and mixed media on canvas, faux fur – Dimensions 24 × 24 × 1 in

“I am a Brooklyn-based artist working at the intersection of painting, textiles, sculpture, collage, and installation. My goal is to innovate the field of contemporary abstraction by reimagining aesthetic power as empathetic, feminist, and ecologically conscious. I create large-scale wall-based sculptural installations and freestanding objects. My collage-based process combines painted acrylic surfaces with new, found, and recycled materials. My work is maximalist, featuring layers of textured surfaces, bright colors, and unexpected materials.” -Kathy Sirico

Sooo-z Mastropietro, “Lucky chops”, 2018 Fabric tubes on painted board, wire- Dimensions: 44 × 48 × 6 in Request more info

“As a mixed media artist, I gather inspiration through color, texture, composition, humor and irony, which are essential elements to my work giving way to limitless endeavors infused with spirited experimentation and calculated execution. My unique style is an open curiosity which lends itself well to themes from the irreverent to profoundly conceptual. My objective is to achieve infinite boundaries from a finite form. These intricately manipulated tubes of fabric represent the parts of the sum which inevitably become the sum of bigger parts.” -Sooo-z Mastropietro

Ruta Naujalyte “My Love Will Eat You Alive”, Sewing threads, wire Dimensions: 12 1/2 × 28 × 3 in

“Ruta Naujalyte is an Oslo-based professional textile artist specializing in contemporary jewelry and modern arts. She finished her Masters’s degree at the Vilnius Art Academy textile department in 2008. Over the years she has experimented with various materials and techniques but always stayed loyal to crochet. Naujalyte mastered the craft by pushing herself to use smaller and smaller hooks and thinner and thinner threads. For Naujalyte, mythical creatures, fictional fairy tales, and inspiring color combinations are important creative elements that convert objects into amulets. Shapes evolve organically; the impression of incompleteness is significant – scattered thread brings liveness. It adds presence – awareness of the here and now. She has no purpose in replicating nature, reproducing hyper realistically; Naujalyte is creating new species, new feelings. Her work has a macabre aspect to it. It emphasizes the fragility of beauty.” – Ruta Naujalyte

Christy O’Connor, “Carried Trauma,” 2020 Dress making patterns, glue, thread- Dimensions 21 × 9 × 8 in Request more info

“This body of work scrutinizes the amalgamation of victim shaming tropes that men and women are taught throughout their lives, both passively and actively, through social norms, pop culture, our educational and legal systems, religious establishments, and familial influences and upbringing.”
– Christy O’Connor

Rosemary Meza-DesPlas, “Yo También”, 2018 Hand-sewn gray human hair on black twill fabric – Dimensions 25 × 21 × 2 in

“Rosemary Meza-DesPlas explores the concept of anger as a tool for change by juxtaposing found imagery from social media, art history and mass media. She is interested in how social movements, Women’s Marches and #MeToo harnessed anger in order to forefront an array of gender-based burdens. Meza-DesPlas’ most recent drawings incorporate her gray hair. She has been sewing with her own hair since 2000. Her hair is hand-sewn into a variety of grounds with small embroidery needles. Meza-DesPlas’ decision to collect, sort and utilize hair as a vehicle for artmaking is informed by socio-cultural symbolism, feminism and body issues, and religious symbolism.” -Rosemary Meza-DesPlas

Kelly Boehmer “Love Bites (Blue)”, 2019 Fibers, taxidermy, faux and real fur on canvas – Dimensions 15 × 11 × 10 in Request more info

“My soft sculptures display a tragic sense of humor. The response that we have to this imagery relates to the emotional complexity inherent in our relationships, fantasies, and anxieties. Saturated colors and furry textures are juxtaposed with upcycled taxidermy in my work. Delicate, sheer fabrics and faux fur “soften the blow,” making anxieties easier to confront. The series of photographs allow the viewer to focus on the small details in my sculptural work.”
-Kelly Boehmer

Marianne Fairbanks, “Heart of Being 3”, 2018 Cotton, polypropylene cord, nylon, wool, handwoven on TC-2 loom – Dimensions 41 × 21 1/2 × 4 in Request more info

“Marianne Fairbanks makes work that explores the deep meaning in geometry and abstraction as they relate to textile and graphic design vocabularies. Fairbanks approaches weaving, painting, photography, and sculpture with a playfulness of process that destabilizes conventional value systems of hard and soft form-making while digging into more philosophical understandings of material vs immaterial.
The viewer is asked to consider object as photo, photo as pattern, pattern as dimensional; confronted simultaneously with macro and micro, foreground and background, disorienting the viewer as they search for a focus. While the work fights for perceptual attention, it also encourages a deep engagement with our material world in the construction of philosophical belief systems and physical realities.”
-Marianne Fairbanks

“I am an artist of opportunity, open to possibilities. I collect materials, experiment with techniques, pursue my curiosities and look for connections, intersections and overlaps. It’s a spinning Venn diagram that suddenly locks into place when all of the input mixes with an idea, resulting in the emergence of creative expression. My work exists in the realm of possibility and potential. My compositions unfold; design and construction happen simultaneously. The structure grows out of a conversation with the materials. I embrace the discarded, the flawed and the marginalized. I create fictional histories, alternative narratives, future truths & imagined worlds in the form of false relics, ritual artifacts and altered portraits.” -Winnie van der Rijn

Sophie Boggis-Rolfe “Ophélie, Mémoire en gris”, 2020 Brads, yarn, acrylic paint, nail varnish & chipboard – Dimensions 18 1/2 × 14 3/5 × 2 2/5 in Request more info

“I have always loved exploring new materials that can be used in unpredictable ways. Subjects that I most enjoy are figurativism and portraiture, as there is always an undeniable truth to the human experience. My main method of working is using pins or nails with thread or string to depict something in a realistic manner. This method is called ‘Constellations’, and my aim is to represent a form by connecting the nails with string. With each line connection the thread/string builds up a tone or shadow. The layering and tactile representation that forms allow me to explore the more multi-dimensional depths of the image. I am drawn to this method as one can appreciate my work from different positions, up close and afar, merging the abstract with realism. Seeing my ‘Constellations’ in a real-life setting lets viewers understand the material relationship between the elements used in the construction. The ‘Constellations’ have patterned sharp tones, elevating the features that normally have certain textures. The work looks into a person’s soul and sees how it manifests itself. ”
-Sophie Boggis-Rolfe

Jody MacDonald “Pwittie Ghul Bhud”, 2021 Unbleached cotton muslin, acrylic paint, thread, polyester fiberfill, galvanized wire, embroidery floss, laser-printed acid-free newsprint – Dimensions 68 × 12 × 12 in Request more info

“I am consumed with the construction and performance of identity. Each textile figure begins with a photographic transfer of my face. The works are not self-portraits but rather a series of roles that I have cast myself in. These roles transgress boundaries to critique current social and political issues, connecting to the viewer through humor and pathos. The piece featured in UNRAVELED is from my current series, Freaks, Geeks, and Strange Girls, inspired by carnival freak show archetypes. The freak show’s practice of blurring fact and fiction mirrors my fascination with real vs. fake. I am enchanted by objects and individuals that – whether through masquerade, posturing or camouflage – are not quite what they seem. This attitude of imitation carries through into creation: upholstery fringe becomes hair, sandpaper emulates poolside terrazzo, painters’ tape stands in as ceramic tile, and three-dimensional objects are flattened into cardboard cutout representations.” -Jody McDonald

Elizabeth Miller “Dev’nay”, 2020 Wire, hair- Dimensions 18 × 12 × 36 in Request more info

“Hair is a part of all of us. Our skin anchors it. We live within it. And because of it, hairstyles and designs have enjoyed a rich, multi-hemispheric tradition that has spanned the millennia. Liz Miller’s work explores the connection between our roots and contemporary America. Textile, ancestry and contemporary black culture are her inspirations. Her work takes the form of static installations, artifacts of rituals and/or full-scale performances, films, and social experiments. Cataloging hair stories since her formative years, Miller celebrates the limitless potential of hair, most often as it relates to African American culture. The work questions hair and body politics, while addressing such issues as appropriation, classism, gender, ethnicity, anti-blackness, equity, identity, and the commodification of the black body.”
-Elizabeth Miller

“Having the knowledge that countless women before me have touched and worked with the saris gives the materials a place of honor in my work. These silks, along with sari ribbons and other materials typically relegated to “women’s work” and “craft,” allow me to establish strong feminist themes within my work. By sewing the materials both by hand and by machine into rudimentary and at times crude facsimiles of the human figure and anatomy, I play with the juxtaposition of traditional women’s roles and modern technologies here and across the globe. My hope is for the viewer to have a visceral reaction to their own body which in turn will intrigue them and allow them the opportunity to investigate my work for its nuances and textures. Thereby engaging the viewer and allowing them to experience and interpret the materials and the human form in new and unique ways all while underscoring the female experience and role.”
– Lisa Federici

Lisa Federici “Heart”, 2015 Recycled Silk Sari Ribbon, thread, and Pins on Canvas- Dimensions 25 × 19 × 1
Request more info

Carol Scavotto “THE THOUGHT OF YOUR TOUCH WEAKENS MY KNEES”, 2020 Dupioni silk fabric, silk thread, colored pencil and bamboo hoop- Dimensions: 12 in diameter Request more Info

“My work has been largely motivated by the embarrassment I felt as a child growing up at a time when dyslexia was not well recognized or understood. Being dyslexic forced me to become adept at reading people and situations via body language and facial expressions.Trying not to draw attention to my shortcomings in a classroom setting led me to become a master of disguise, often wearing a mask of understanding to conceal my embarrassment. Reading faces and situations so acutely taught me to search for the backstory to everyone’s facade. An equally strong motivator in my work has been the years I spent doing gymnastics, figure skating, and ballet, activities that focus on the beauty and strength that the human body can consciously create. “
-Carol Scavotto

“A desire to both hold on to and let go of our past influences drives my mixed-media practice. Contradictions of form and media quietly speak to tensions we have with negotiating our sense of place. As works seem to pull themselves together or break apart, they act as stand-ins for complex personas confronting their environments– physical, spiritual or cultural. Visually these material-driven paradoxes can confuse viewers due to their orderly nature, but the tightness of craft makes the tensions within them quickly felt, yet mysteries for us to ponder further. In this way materials contrast and connections act as clues. From upholstered forms, needle work, and velvet to concrete, tree branches, and rocks, I seek ways to express complex negotiations with our edges—our reaches, our landings, our thresholds,… our sense of home.” -Stacy Isenbarger

Stacy Isenbarger, “Be True”, 2020 Fabric, string, embroidery hoops, Portland cement – Dimensions 5 × 5 × 1 in Request more info

Install Views of UNRAVELED: Confronting The Fabric of Fiber Art exhibition at The Untitled Space

ABOUT THE UNTITLED SPACE
The Untitled Space is an art gallery located in Tribeca, New York in a landmark building on Lispenard Street. Founded in 2015 by artist Indira Cesarine, the gallery features an ongoing curation of exhibits of emerging and established contemporary artists exploring conceptual framework and boundary-pushing ideology through mediums of painting, sculpture, printmaking, photography, video and performance art. The gallery is committing to exploring new ideas vis-à-vis traditional and new mediums and highlights a program of women in art. Since launching The Untitled Space gallery, Cesarine has curated over 40 exhibitions and has exhibited artwork by more than 450 artists. Her curatorial for The Untitled Space includes solo shows for artists Sarah Maple, Rebecca Leveille, Alison Jackson, Fahren Feingold, Jessica Lichtenstein, Tom Smith, Loren Erdrich, Kat Toronto aka Miss Meatface, Katie Commodore, and Jeanette Hayes among many others. Notable group shows include “Art4Equality x Life, Liberty & The Pursuit of Happiness” public art exhibition and group show presented in collaboration with Save Art Space, “IRL: Investigating Reality,” “BODY BEAUTIFUL,” “SHE INSPIRES,” Special Projects “EDEN” and “(HOTEL) XX” at SPRING/BREAK Art Show, and internationally-celebrated group shows “UPRISE/ANGRY WOMEN,” and “ONE YEAR OF RESISTANCE” responding to the political climate in America, as well as numerous other critically-acclaimed exhibitions. Recent press on Indira Cesarine & The Untitled Space includes Vogue (US), Vogue Italia, CNN, Forbes, Newsweek, W Magazine, Harper’s Bazaar, Teen Vogue, New York Magazine, i-D Magazine, Dazed and Confused, and The New York Times among many others.