Unravelling the power of textiles

Often overlooked, textiles are powerful global messengers, conveying personal and hidden narratives about gender, labor, ecology and more. The exhibition Unravel: The Power and Politics of Textiles in Art showcases 50 artists from the 1960s to the present who explore the transformative potential of textiles in challenging power dynamics through diverse works.

The exhibition features more than 100 works, from intimate pieces to large-scale installations, in which artists use stitching, weaving and other tactile processes to challenge power structures, transcend boundaries and reimagine the world. Organized thematically, the exhibition highlights how textiles have been used to address stories of marginalization, exclusion, joy and resilience. It presents six themes, including Subversive Stitch and Ancestral Threads, exploring how textiles challenge dominant narratives and manifest hope across time and geography.

The Unravelling: The Power and Politics of Textiles in Art runs from 13 February to 26 May 2024 at the Barbican Art Gallery, London. Find out more on the Barbican Art Gallery website.