Installation view – Arthur Boyd: Tapestries, National Gallery of Australia – St Francis when young turning aside (1972). Photo: Gina Fairley.
Tapestry is enjoying a renewed moment in contemporary art. Once seen as a niche or decorative medium relegated to the margins of art history, its emphasis on collaboration, craftsmanship, materiality and slow craft feels increasingly relevant.
Olsen had begun working with the renowned tapestry workshop, Manufactura de Tapeçarias de Portalegre. The trip changed everything for Boyd.
Gina Fairley is ArtsHub's Senior Contributor, after 12 years in the role as National Visual Arts Editor. She has worked for extended periods in America and Southeast Asia, as gallerist, arts administrator and regional contributing editor for a number of magazines, including Hong Kong based Asian Art News and World Sculpture News. She is an Art Tour leader for the AGNSW Members, and lectures regularly on the state of the arts. She is based in Mittagong, regional NSW.
Instagram: fairleygina
