PRICK! Needlework Now

PRICK! Needlework Now brings together artworks by Australian and international artists who use stitching as a fundamental part of their art making. Slow and meditative, using a needle is fiddly and time-consuming work. Often overlooked in contemporary art practice, needlework has only recently been receiving the critical attention it deserves. Whether the surface is textile or paper, flat or three-dimensional, all artists in this exhibition hero the act of pricking in their practice, leaving small marks with big impact.  

Needlework is fundamental to visual cultures across the globe; the materials are easily accessed, are often inexpensive and the outcomes can be breathtaking. This exhibition collates artworks where decoration and experimentation converge, and artists use the act of pricking in expanded ways. With a focus on artists from Australia, Indonesia, India, and Vietnam, PRICK! celebrates each artist’s unique technique and approach to this delicate, complex and precise medium.  

PRICK! includes works by Maggie Baxter, Aaron Billings, Jayeeta Chatterjee, Carly Takari Dodd, Melinda Harper, Michelle Hamer, Louise Rippert, Gurjeet Singh, Louise Saxton, Octora, Kasia Tons and Lisa Walker 

Curated by Helen Rayment.  

This exhibition has been produced by RMIT University at RMIT Gallery. 

Kasia Tons, Tarpaulin diary, 2018, cotton, synthetic tarp, paint, hand embroidery, 77.5cm x 45cm (framed). Courtesy of MARS and the artist.