Introduction by Jonathan McBurnie

Textile-based art has been enjoying a renaissance after decades of being derided, ignored or ghettoised for being ‘craft’ or ‘Women’s work’, both terms of which are dismissive artworld shorthand for ‘not art’. This resurgence is largely due to the embrace of Women and Queer artists seeking to reclaim artistic disciplines frequently dismissed by the prevailing patriarchy of the art world for its perceived femininity. These artists have been reinstating the importance of textiles by way of incredible force and ingenuity, and perhaps most importantly, an intelligent and methodical dismantling of established art world ‘rules’, as clung to by the boy’s club of the 20th century. Thus textile-based art becomes a powerful and accessible agent in the examination of identity, society and politics.

As artists such as Gunta Stölzl, Louise Bourgeois, Sheila Hicks and Nancy Grossman have proven, textile art is not so easily routed or dismissed; these artists helped cement textiles into the visual arts context as a radical and stimulating alternative throughout a century of despotic gatekeeping and sectarian sexism, despite massive societal change. Textiles have grown to command a significant following in a world of a billion paintings, offering its own complex and distinctive lexicon, as capable of expression, nuance and polemic as any other media.

Australia is fortunate to be gifted with an array of intelligent, engaging, challenging and skilled artists working with textiles. This exhibition begins by taking textiles’ artistic legitimacy for granted, a point proven many times over throughout its long history, and Fresh Material brings together twenty of the best and brightest artists working in Australia today.

Approaching this exhibition was an exciting proposition, and was incredibly hard to contain to twenty artists. Bringing together emerging and early career artists with gallery veterans creates a compelling dialogue between backgrounds, cultures and generations, and I think you’ll agree that the results are equally exciting. I would like to thank the artists for so enthusiastically launching into this project. Having the opportunity, on the Gallery’s fortieth year, to create such an exciting mix of artists drawn from our own community and abroad speaks to the team’s continuing mission to provide the highest-level programming and opportunities for artists of all stripes. What better way to end the year than on such a high note?