FIBRA SPIRARE: working together through culture, textile and spirit

An exhibition of contemporary New Zealand textile art travels to Sweden.

A group of five contemporary New Zealand textile artists – Jeanette Schäring, Genevieve Packer, Jacquelyn Greenbank, Andrea Chandler and Ngahina Hohaia – has been invited by Rydals Museum in Sweden to exhibit work as part of the museum’s main summer event in June through to mid August 2009. Images

The textile artists chosen are seen from a Swedish perspective, to be a strong and
cohesive, yet diverse representation of the current state of textile art in New Zealand. Visually and conceptually, the selection has been made by New Zealand residing Swedish artist Jeanette Schäring in discussion with Ulrika Kullenberg, director of Rydals Museum, to work well together as a group and is deemed interesting for its predominately Swedish and potential tourist audience.

Rydals Museum is situated in an historical spinning factory on the banks of the River Viskan in Marks Municipality, in the heart of an area known as ‘the textile kingdom’. Part of the factory is well preserved and a vital part of the museum includes hosting temporary exhibitions. This year the institution has chosen to focus on contemporary work by New Zealand textile artists as its main summer exhibition.

Each of the artists involved in the exhibition is exploring the use of textiles/fibre using nontraditional methods, and the selection of work has been made with a focus on the intersection between art, craft and design, and the strong engagement these artists have with contemporary culture. It is anticipated that the project will foster the building of networks, and the development of cultural and intellectual exchanges between the New Zealand and Swedish textile communities.