Terri Friedman, If Only, 2020, Cotton, hemp, acrylic wool, chenille, metallic fibers, 82″ x 102 “
August 12th, 2021
By Betty Ann Brown
“Above & Below” at Shoshana Wayne Gallery presents twelve artists whose works relate, in one way or another, to the practice of weaving. The exhibition title refers to the way horizontal elements (wefts) are passed above, then below vertical elements (warps) on fabric looms. The practice of interlacing two distinct yarns or threads (or photographs or strips of, well, anything) at right angles creates a new “woven” surface. Weaving is the basis of textile production…but it is also linked to technology. The Frenchman Joseph Marie Charles, known as Jacquard (1752-1834), invented the first programmable machine to produce two-layered fabrics. His punched-card programming led to the development of computers in the 20th century.
That textile/computer connection is pertinent to the art in “Above & Below.” Several of the works echo traditional fabric forms: Frances Trombly’s cotton and silk scarves, Terri Friedman’s mixed media tapestries. Other works employ beading and embroidery (Yveline Tropéa and Madame Moreau). Gil Yefman combines wet and dry felting to produce a large white sheet covered with a bouquet of black, white and gray flowers. The technological element is seen in works like those of Dinh Q. Lê, who “weaves” strips of two distinct photographs in order to create complex new images and Sabrina Gschwandtner who combines polyester film and polyester thread to create an abstract diptych.
Read more here.
