White Cube artist Jessica Rankin’s evocative textile, drawing and printed word work is currently on display at Rochdale’s Touchstones.
Reflecting on her relationship with her poet mother, femininity and the colonial plundering of art treasures, her first solo show outside London, Stone/Folding, comes to a conclusion on Saturday 16 December.
All newly commissioned pieces, the New York-based, Australian artist has followed a trail of thoughts and coincidental encounters from the British Museum to a second-hand East Village Bookshop and on into Athens in the creation of each, drawing on her deep relationship with literature as well as personal themes. The exhibition touches on the constellations in the night sky, the British Empire and more contemporary issues such as Brexit and the refugee crisis.
Appropriating methods traditionally identified with ‘feminine’ pursuits – embroidery and needlework – New York-based artist Jessica Rankin’s work often takes the form of organdy ‘embroidered paintings’. Having learned to sew as a child in Australia, Rankin returned to embroidery after graduating from art school in the USA.
Where and when is Jessica Rankin’s Stone/Folding exhibition taking place?
Jessica Ranking’s Stone/Folding exhibition is on display at Touchstones in Rochdale until Saturday 16 December.