The weaving of narratives has a long history. For thousands of years tapestries have been used for various reasons: for spiritual and religious purposes, to tell the tales of important events in society, as a form of propaganda or of protest.
In this exhibition, LONGING – woven strands, woven stories, six artists from different parts of the world present personal narratives through their woven works, tackling issues of origin, heritage, belonging, family, spirituality and purpose. The underlying sense of longing that humanity at large has felt in recent times links the artists together in an over-arching theme: longing to connect or re-connect, longing for things past, longing for people lost or destinies unfulfilled.
The American artist Julia Bland, the British-Thai painter Mark Corfield-Moore, the Swedish visual artist Kristina Müntzing, the Swedish weaving artist Emelie Röndahl, the Chilean-Swedish textile artist Mariana Silva Varela and the French weaving artist Côme Touvay all have different backgrounds and approaches in their artistic practices. What binds them together is the use of crossing strands; warp and weft; that bring to life stories that are both personal and universal at the same time.
The exhibition presents around thirty woven pieces forming a continuous journey between the interior, the courtyard and the garden of the Hôtel de Marle. It also comprises videos made by the artists. Several pieces were made specially for the show and are being presented here for the first time.