Louise Bourgeois, Tracey Emin and Cecilia Vicuña in Unravel: The Power and Politics of Textiles in Art
14 September 2024—5 January 2025
Group exhibition at Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
First presented at The Barbican Centre, London (13 February—26 May 2024), this fall Unravel travels to The Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam. In the exhibition, artists from around the world present extraordinary artworks, from large-scale, colourful and expressive installations, to delicate and intimate pieces about love, resilience, power, and resistance. The group show features over a hundred colourful works by 45 artists, including such famous names as Louise Bourgeois, Sheila Hicks, and Tracey Emin, but also younger artists.
The Stedelijk Museum has collected works of textile art since 1930. In the 1960s and 1970s, artworks gradually became more sculptural, and began to address socio-political themes. Today, textiles are experiencing a remarkable resurgence. The work of pioneers such as Sheila Hicks and Magdalena Abakanowicz is being reappraised, and many young creators are harnessing the medium to tell stories. Unravel shows that contemporary artists feel free to express themselves in any medium they like, and that textiles add an extra dimension, both in terms of content and visual experience. Unravel features 9 works from the Stedelijk’s collection, including recent acquisitions.
Participating artists: Pacita Abad, Magdalena Abakanowicz, Igshaan Adams, Mounira Al Solh, Ghada Amer, Arpilleristas, Mercedes Azpilicueta, Kevin Beasley, Sanford Biggers, Louise Bourgeois, Diedrick Brackens, Jagoda Buić, Margarita Cabrera, Feliciano Centurión, Judy Chicago, Myrlande Constant, Cian Dayrit, Tracey Emin, Gee’s Bend / Lorraine Pettway, Jeffrey Gibson, Antonio Jose Guzman & Iva Jankovic, Harmony Hammond, Sheila Hicks, Nicholas Hlobo, Kimsooja, José Leonilson, Tau Lewis, Ibrahim Mahama, Teresa Margolles, Georgina Maxim, Małgorzata Mirga-Tas, Violeta Parra, Antonio Pichillá Quiacaín, Faith Ringgold, LJ Roberts, Zamthingla Ruivah, Hannah Ryggen, Tschabalala Self, Angela Su, Lenore Tawney, Cecilia Vicuña, T. Vinoja, Yee I-Lann, Billie Zangewa, Sarah Zapata