Radical Textiles blockbuster poses hard questions around supposedly ‘soft’ medium

The Art Gallery of South Australia’s blockbuster exhibition doesn’t hold back in showcasing artists who have used textiles to proudly, and at times defiantly, make their mark.
Art Gallery South Australia Radical Textiles: installation view of a visual art exhibition showing largescale textile mural works.

It’s a gutsy move these days to frame a major visual art exhibition around the idea of being ‘radical’.

For example, is it radical to be among the first artists to use certain materials (like textiles) or express ideas in ways that no other artists have tried before? The answer to that is almost certainly ‘yes.’

Starting with the theme of ‘revival’, there are a number of finely-crafted small-scale works dotted throughout the show that speak to the idea of how certain contemporary artists are committed to keeping legacy textile traditions and techniques alive in the modern day.

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ArtsHub's Arts Feature Writer Jo Pickup is based in Perth. An arts writer and manager, she has worked as a journalist and broadcaster for media such as the ABC, RTRFM and The West Australian newspaper, contributing media content and commentary on art, culture and design. She has also worked for arts organisations such as Fremantle Arts Centre, STRUT dance, and the Aboriginal Arts Centre Hub of WA, as well as being a sessional arts lecturer at The Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts (WAAPA).