A few weeks ago I visited the Anni Albers exhibition at Tate Modern. I first became seriously aware of her work in Whitechapel Gallery exhibition ' adventures of the black square' and then at 'Making, Unmaking' at Camden Arts Centre. It was a joy to see a gallery space devoted to textiles as art ( and for this to be recognized in reviews of the exhibition here and here)
What struck me most was how much the texture added depth to abstract work, seeing the details and the variety of threads and 'stitches' used in her 'pictorial weaving' and interestingly how fading of dyes over time made subtle changes. She was such an innovator.
The larger installations , exploring the relationships between textiles and architecture and the commission ' 6 prayers' with their 'scriptural effect' showed another dimension of her work
Interesting use of metallic threads - the silver threads in 'Haiku' (below) reflecting back light in my phone camera snap ( you wouldn't be aware of it in the photos online)
I enjoyed her sketches and the fascinating range of samples and source material for her book ' On Weaving' from student exercises using straw and string to fragments of ancient woven pieces from cultures around the world
In the final room were samples of the types of yarn she used and touchable swatches- reminders of how important the sense of touch is in textiles. I wonder how often they have to replace them , or what they look like now after several weeks of fondling and handling!?
This was one of my favourite pieces - ' City' from 1949 , overlaid swatches of heavy threads on a course hessian like background giving the impression of buildings In the words of Nicholas Fox Weber, the executive director of the Josef and Anni Albers Foundation, “You see neighbourhoods; you hear populations; you sense traffic rushing along.”
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