The travelling exhibition Soft Stories brings together work by six Albertan contemporary female artists working in the vein of fiber arts. Each individual artist’s practice is varied, resulting in an array of techniques on display.
Esther Neufeld crafts elaborate felted landscapes of her surroundings; Molly Caldwell presents weavings that reimage representations of femininity; Danielle Piper shares soft sculptures made from traditional and upcycled materials, embellished with beadwork; Shanell Papp urges viewers to reconsider macabre themes through embroidery and rug tufting.
In works by Wendy Tokaryk and Nicole Riedmueller, fibre is not the primary medium. Tokaryk utilizes textiles in the printmaking process, drawing attention to the treatment of lacemakers in 18th century France, while Riedmueller adds quilted elements as backdrops to ceramics exploring domestic labour. A common thread running between the works is storytelling. In some of the pieces, the stories are autobiographical — expressions of personal lived experience. Others share accounts of ancestors or people who were treated unfairly throughout history — voices that can no longer advocate for themselves.
The history of storytelling and fibre arts is long and intertwined. For centuries, large woven textiles called tapestries have been a medium of choice for commemorating events or depicting myths and fables. In fact, the words text and textile derive from the same latin verb texere, meaning “to weave”. While these stories unfold on materials that are soft, the pieces punch above their weight. The more time one spends with each, the more the stories unfold.
Ultimately, the exhibition is a testament to employing age old techniques of fibre arts as a contemporary method of expression and sharing knowledge, ideas and stories. Alongside the exhibition, we invite you to collaborate on our Community Weaving Project or make a weaving of your own to take home, using looms free and available to use at TREX Space.
We are open Tuesday to Saturday, 12 - 5 PM.
