Embroidery thread on linen 415 x 530mm framed
Edition 2/10. Remaining edition available. Made to order.
Embroidery and textile motifs have been used universally as a visual code. In these embroideries, Kirsten Sutherland explores the language of nineteenth-century American quilt designs. Quilts with these designs, including the tumbling blocks and drunkard's path motifs, were displayed in the windows of the Underground Railway, revealing coded instructions to guide escaped slaves to safety. The idea that textiles can hold protective power builds on previous work investigating saintly relics and hex signs. In the same way, the protective symbolism of the quilting designs brings a sense of sanctuary into the home.
These embroideries also investigate the intersection of traditional textile designs and modernist art, referencing artists such as Hilma af Klint, Anni Albers and Herman Miller.