The use of craft in contemporary art.
Edited by Shu Hung and Joseph Magliaro

Published by Princeton Architectural Press, New York.

I want to begin this review by saying that I love this book, I really hope that this book is the first of a whole series of such books. If you have not read this book, and the chances are you haven’t because it is a new release, then I must explain. This book is all about the handcraft movement and how it is being used, nay embraced, by contemporary artists as their medium of choice. We are undergoing unsettled times politically, environmentally and socially, and I think it is especially interesting and important that traditional handcrafts are being incorporated into fine arts and design now, perhaps as a backlash against the excesses of a consumerist society and technology filled lives. This art is slow art, with an emphasis on the process and the materials, and a need to express personal experiences rather than grand social messages.

The book begins with an introduction about the philosophy of the handmade movement and then introduces each artist with wonderful images of their work and an artist statement. There seem to be equal numbers of men and women as well as a good mix of mediums and art practices, with embroidery, book arts and fashion design receiving equal space to knitting, sewing and crochet. I was drawn to many of the works visually and then upon reading the artists own words I was able to really relate to their thought processes.

Many of the artists who use traditional craft techniques don’t think of themselves as subverting the medium, just using it to express their ideas, while they acknowledge the power of such a way working and the political statement that using domestic arts makes. Kent Henrickson, whose embroidery depicts death and evil deeds, uses the innocent and decorative medium of embroidery. While Barb Hunt, who knits bombs, uses a medium that is traditionally used to warm and protect,

Margarita Cabrera is also a textile sculpture artist. She sews domestic appliances, and has also sewn a life-size Volkswagen Beetle, as a statement about the mexican workers on the border. Her work is polically motivated but very personal she says of her life as a migrant “I have travelled from one cultural context into another. As a result, disorder and disruption have a particular resonance in my work”.

Dave Cole’s works are knitted sculptural pieces, that are the culmination of a laborious and intense process and use unusual materials, such as his huge teddy bear that is made from fiberglass insulation hand knitted with urethane fixative. He says “There’s something compelling about taking a long time to make something. The process becomes important.” … “I’m subverting the feminine process. … [and] i’m subverting the masculine material. … co-opting the domestic process to say something about masculinity.”

Many artists re-use materials to make a statement in their work. Recycling as a political or a personal statement has become a powerful way of expressing ideas. electricwig are a design duo, who use recycled materials to open discussion about consumerism. While dymano-ville, a doll making duo, make one-off unusual dolls from a variety of recycled fabrics and by doing this are able to embed personal histories and nostalgia into their art. Another artist who uses knitting as a tool for remembering is Robyn Love, who makes knitted memorial cozies, for statues for grave stones and sign posts.

There are many more artists in the book whose work is original, thought provoking, quirky and funny and serious. These artists make use of many different materials and methods of working and are well worth further exploriation. This is a book that I can read over and over and over again, I will use it as a reference and as inspiration. A really great book, congratulations to the publishers for seeing the worth in this idea and to the editors for seeing the worth in this form of artwork.

This entry was posted on Thursday, October 19th, 2006 at 2:30 pm and is filed under reviews+literature+media. You can subscribe via RSS 2.0 feed to this post's comments. You can comment below, or link to this permanent URL from your own site. Your comments will be moderated but will appear as soon as humanly possible.