Textile Art 2004

In the contexts of contemporary art the Textile Association must constantly redefine its existence and goals. An exhibition such as this one is a perfect venue to do so, and an exciting one for several reasons. Here, we can observe how artists from different countries weave tradition, handcraft, and modern thinking, and how different backgrounds manifest themselves in different ways in their works. This is an elaborate group exhibition that, among other things, offers the viewer a chance to contemplate the artists' subject matter, and whether it is different to the ones of painters, for instance, or video artists, a chance to contemplate whether textile art has its own niche in the contemporary arts or whether textile is just an interesting tool, one of many tools in the toolbox of the contemporary artist. A visit to the exhibition can be compared to a journey, a trip to an intriguing place where the viewer experiences different influences on the senses, visually, emotionally, and intellectually. As always, it is ultimately up to the viewer to read into all that is to see here, to see beyond the surface and the treatment, to keep in mind that there is reflection and thought behind the craftsmanship. The unifying factor of the artworks - the textile - is therefore only one side of the exhibition, what remains is that the colourful nuances of international contemporary art are assembled here in works that are founded on traditional ground but could nevertheless only have been created in the modern times.