{"id":635289,"date":"2025-12-16T03:57:34","date_gmt":"2025-12-16T03:57:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/635289\/"},"modified":"2025-12-16T03:57:34","modified_gmt":"2025-12-16T03:57:34","slug":"a-vibrant-group-exhibition-thread-count-celebrates-the-legacy-of-anni-albers-colossal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/635289\/","title":{"rendered":"A Vibrant Group Exhibition, ‘Thread Count’ Celebrates the Legacy of Anni Albers \u2014 Colossal"},"content":{"rendered":"

When we see a painting, we don\u2019t generally ask ourselves, \u201cIs this art?\u201d A work on canvas is almost always inherently seen as such, but what about mediums like ceramics, photography, or fiber<\/a> that also often serve functional or decorative purposes and historically have not been considered \u201chigh art<\/a>?\u201d Why are some textiles considered art while others are not, and what system are we using to determine this \u201cvalue?\u201d What makes a tapestry a tapestry, and a rug a rug?<\/p>\n

Thread Count, a large-scale group exhibition curated by Charlotte Gr\u00fcssing at The Hole<\/a>, aims to illuminate the beguiling nature of textiles\u2014something of a dark horse in the contemporary art world. The show is organized as an ode to the work of trailblazing artist Anni Albers<\/a>, a modernist weaver who studied at the Bauhaus<\/a> in Germany and later taught alongside her husband, Josef Albers, at Black Mountain College in North Carolina.<\/p>\n

\"AnSarah Zapata, \u201cTowards An Ominous Time V B\u201d (2022), handwoven cloth, natural and synthetic fibers, 72 x 60 inches<\/p>\n

Thread Count, the title for which nods to the number we often see on bedsheet sets to indicate quality, brings together work by more than two dozen contemporary artists working with fabric and fiber.<\/p>\n

\u201cFiber practices may be having a cultural moment, yet they remain widely misunderstood,\u201d the gallery says. \u201cThread Count invites a slower kind of looking: attention to surface, texture, knots, dyes and the physical logic of how things are built.\u201d The show serves as a reminder, despite the rise of textiles in modern and contemporary art, \u201cof how inadequate such quality measurements are for describing the complexity of textile work.\u201d<\/p>\n

The artists each approach fabric, thread, rope, dyes, and found objects with a huge array of techniques. Kenny Nguyen<\/a>, for example, creates undulating large-scale wall pieces made of woven strips of silk, and Rachel Mica Weiss<\/a> creates stunning color gradients by stretching thin embroidery thread taut within a frame. Molly Haynes<\/a>\u2019 tight, structural weavings also emphasize the material characteristics of silk and cotton thread\u2014individual strands of which may seem inconsequential, but woven and wrapped together into chunky textures, they transform into an intimately detailed object.<\/p>\n

Thread Count also highlights the work of artists for whom textiles are a conduit for powerful imagery, a kind of cross-pollination between fiber art, painting, and even digital processes. Qualeasha Wood<\/a>, for example, creates digital collages which are then woven with a jacquard loom. Jim Drain<\/a>\u2019s sculptural form evokes a lidded basket, incorporating knitting. And Samantha Bittman<\/a>\u2019s meticulously rendered geometric compositions, augmented with acrylic, evoke Op Art of the 1960s.<\/p>\n

\"AQualeasha Wood, \u201cPeep Show\u201d (2023), woven jacquard and glass seed beads, 80 x 56 inches<\/p>\n

Colossal readers will also likely be familiar with Sarah Zapata<\/a>\u2019s textural, tufted surfaces and Antonio Sant\u00edn<\/a>\u2019s hyperrealistic oil paintings that resemble scrunched carpets. You may also recognize work by Jacqueline Surdell<\/a>, Anne Samat<\/a>, and more.<\/p>\n

See Thread Count in New York City at The Hole\u2019s Bowery location through January 11. Learn more and plan your visit on the gallery\u2019s website<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"AnMolly Haynes, \u201cFormation (Bone) Expanded\u201d (2025), silk, cotton, linen, and steel rod, 38 x 28 x 3 inches<\/p>\n

\"AnAntonio Sant\u00edn, \u201cAl l\u00edo\u201d (2022), oil on canvas, 71 x 79 inches<\/p>\n

\"AnRachel Mica Weiss, \u201cTundra\u201d (2025), polyester embroidery thread, brass hooks, and maple, 70 x 60 x 3 inches<\/p>\n

\"ARachel Mica Weiss, \u201cTundra\u201d (detail)<\/p>\n

\"ASamantha Bittman, \u201cUntitled\u201d (2025), acrylic on hand-woven textile, 24 x 18 inches<\/p>\n

\"AJim Drain, \u201cBig Boy\u201d (2005), beads, fabric, string, and mixed media, 69 x 24 x 24 inches<\/p>\n

\"AJim Drain, \u201cBig Boy\u201d (detail)<\/p>\n

\"AnInstallation view of \u2018Thread Count.\u2019 L-R: Meg Lipke, \u201cMendieta Grid\u201d (2020-2025), acrylic on canvas with canvas and thread, 129 x 93 x 3 inches; Anne Samat, \u201cKalambi 4 (A)\u201d (2024), table loom-woven piece with hand painted rattan sticks, recycled and upcycled jeans\/denim, wooden horse harness, numerous types of yarn, washers, wooden beads, metal and plastic ornaments, 74 x 28 x 2 inches<\/p>\n

\"AShinique Smith, \u201cGathering Stars\u201d (2025), vintage indigo cloths, clothing and fabric from \u2018Breathing Room\u2019 performances, and ribbon on wood panel, 38 x 25 x 5 inches<\/p>\n

Do stories and artists like this matter to you?<\/strong> Become a Colossal Member<\/a> now, and support independent arts publishing.<\/p>\n