Local artist, Sally Scott, has had three of her works included in a prestigious exhibition of African textiles that will be traveling to Paris, France next week for the 15th Carrefour European Patchwork Exposition.
Local artist, Sally Scott, has had three of her works included in a prestigious exhibition of African textiles that will be traveling to Paris, France next week for the 15th Carrefour European Patchwork Exposition.
The exhibition, entitled African Mêlée aims to introduce unusual handmade processes, fabric traditions and symbolic use of textiles on the African continent. It will feature traditional African textiles, highlighting the traditions and rituals associated with these textiles, and will also include the work of a selection of contemporary South African fibre artists whose work reflects their commitment and connection to this continent. The theme, ‘Traditions, Magic, Rituals and Heritage’ ensures that the work has been selected in the context of heritage and it’s cultural significance to African textiles.
Ancient handcraft traditions continue as living heritage in large areas of remote Africa. The exhibition will include many of these textiles; from the women of Mali who use methods involving natural dyes such as mud and tree bark as well as fabrics, and the Fula tribe of West Africa whose work contains traditional indigo stitch-resist patterning. The Mossi tribe of West Africa will present vibrant coverings combining long thin strips, traditionally woven by men, and there will be work from a talented Ugandan artist who transforms banana fibre into beautiful fabric. In addition, there will be the amusing Kanga cloths from Zanzibar in East Africa which communicate personal, political and cultural messages.
The curator of the exhibition, Celia de Villiers, an internationally known South African artist, Fine Arts lecturer at Unisa and the founder of the Intuthuko community embroidery project, acknowledges the significance of South Africa’s contemporary fibre art and the contribution these artists are making to the African textile tradition. For this reason, she and her co-curators, Nicole Shaw and Susan Haycock have included select works from embroiderers, bead workers and fibre artists from around the country.
Scott’s works, ‘Axis Mundi’, ‘Axis Mundi Reflected’ and ‘Desert Beauty’ form a part of this collection. These and other works may be viewed on her website www.sallyscott.co.za
African Mêlée will be on show in St.Marie-aux-Mines, Alsace, France from 17 to 20 September.
