Sheila Hicks Weaving as Metaphor

This intriguing book examines the small woven and wrought works artist Sheila Hicks has produced for the past fifty years. With their distinctive colours, thoughtful compositions and narrative expression, these miniature creations reveal the emergence and continuity of the artist’s approach to her work. Internationally recognised for her mastery of a textile vocabulary of extremely different scales – sculpture, tapestry, site specific commissions for public spaces, environments of recuperated clothing and uniforms, and more – Hicks has thoughtfully crafted miniatures throughout her nomadic career. The palm-sized works present a record of her remarkable artistic and personal journeys. Focusing on some one hundred Hicks miniatures from many public and private collections, the book demonstrates the breadth of her artistic concerns, her persistent inquiry into the mysteries of colour, her playful yet reverential subversions of weaving traditions, her surprising range of materials, and her experimentation with new technology. From initial experiments based on pre-Columbian weaving techniques to a 2005 sculptural project using ninety colours of synthetic filaments, Hicks’ small works offer a unique opportunity to access and understand her conceptual and technical forays. The volume includes three informative essays as well as illustrations of the artist’s related drawings, photographs and chronology.