From Back To Front

From Back to Front gathers together recent examples of tapestry weaving that expose the construction of weaving: warp threads are left dangling, even the frame of the loom remains integral in some finished works. These visible traces of the weaving process remind us of the vast potential of the woven structure. While some artists draw inspiration from the physical limits of the woven structure, others weave partial passages or deconstruct the weave to communicate messages of emotional or physical damage and recovery. From Back to Front focuses on tapestry weaving that – for varied reasons – is intrigued by the edges and limits of the woven structure. Read the accompanying essay From Back to Front to learn more about the work.

Curator’s Biography

Jessica Hemmings writes about textiles. She studied Textile Design at the Rhode Island School of Design, graduating with a BFA (Honors) in 1999 and Comparative Literature (Africa/Asia) at the University of London’s School of Oriental and African Studies, earning an MA (Distinction) in 2000. Her Ph.D., awarded by the University of Edinburgh in 2006, is published by Kalliope paperbacks under the title Yvonne Vera: The Voice of Cloth (2008). She has taught at Central Saint Martins, the Rhode Island School of Design, Winchester School of Art, and Edinburgh College of Art. In 2010 she edited a collection of essays titled In the Loop: Knitting Now published by Black Dog and in 2012 edited The Textile Reader (Berg) and wrote Warp & Weft (Bloomsbury). Her latest editorial and curatorial project is Cultural Threads, a book about postcolonial thinking and contemporary textile practice (Bloomsbury: 2015), and Migrations a traveling exhibition (USA, Ireland, Australia: 2015). She is currently a Professor of Visual Culture and Head of the School of Visual Culture at the National College of Art & Design, Dublin.