James Cohan Gallery ..... Tapestries by Contemporary Artists!!

Fred Tomaselli "After Migrant Fruit Thugs," 2008

Kara Walker "A Warm Summer Evening in 1863," 2008

  Astro Vivid Astro Focus "aaxé vatapa alegria feijão," 2008

Grayson Perry "Vote Alan Measles God," 2008

DEMONS, YARNS, & TALES: Tapestries by Contemporary Artists, currently on view at James Cohan Gallery, is one of the most unusual and interesting exhibitions in Chelsea. This visual feast, featuring hand-woven tapestries from thirteen internationally acclaimed artists, was the brainchild of Brits Christopher and Suzanne Sharp of The Rug Company. They created the London- based art organization Banners of Persuasion and  commissioned the project. Approaching artists to use a medium foreign to their practices was very adventerous and required a great deal of thought and time. Each artist translated his/her "known language"  into this centuries old medium, "a craft faded long ago in much the same way as the magnificent tapestries themselves disintegrated."  Each artist's tapestry is an editions of 5, prices range from $40,000 to $145,000. The weaving house that is making the tapestries is in China, set up ten years ago, it uses Flemish weaving techniques, originally used by the tapestry makers of Aubusson. "The factory is situated in a  rural area north of Shanghai and the weavers, all of whom are women, part time so that the can continue to work in the fields and gather the harvest."

The artists' works reflect a variety of subjects ....... including "fictional landscapes, architectural abstraction, fashion and flora and the politics of race, gender, international conflict and the environment." The connections between the artists', their traditional mediums, their own voices, and this new medium are very clear. Gavin Turk focused on the environment, appropriating  Boetti's map and creating the continents from garbage. Shahzia Sikander reflects her interest in the detail of Indian miniatures in her design. Fred Tomascelli said, "Tapestry..oh, that is the first pixilated image." His piece continued incorporating hallucinatory visions that he used in a wood panel piece of the same name, substituting "his frequent use of unorthodox materials such as drugs and hemp for silk and gold threads." Kara Walker's piece, a black silhouette of a lynched woman hanging in front of this racially charged image taken directly from a vintage Harpers Magazine continues her use of historical references. Artists' collective avaf have designed "a collage of images, that captures the hedonistic ethos both of carnival and clubbing; they evoke the glory days of disco and gay activism." Grayson Perry created "a tapestry littered with images that we associate with the perceived threat of global terrorism- following the historical tradition of of using the medium to tell stories of power struggles and war." Julie Verhoeven, known primarily as a fashion designer and illustrator, has seamlessly blended the art of tapestry with her illustrative drawings, weaving her "girls" whom she describes as "swinging between sweetheart pretty and angst-ridden desperate" in yarn.

These tapestries are incredibly stunning, they have to be seen "out loud" to be appreciated!!!!! I have given you a small selection, but sincerely suggest a trip to the gallery ..... this is a must see exhibition!!!!!