PRICK! Needlework Now brings together works of art by Australian and international artists who use stitching as a fundamental part of their art practice. Slow and meditative, using a needle is fiddly and time-consuming work. Often overlooked in contemporary art practice, needlework has only recently received renewed critical attention. Whether the surface is textile or paper, flat or three-dimensional, all artists in this exhibition hero the act of stitching to create their work.
Needlework is fundamental to visual cultures across the globe; the materials are easy to access, are often inexpensive and the outcomes can be breathtaking. This exhibition presents the expanded ways a needle can be used as an artist’s tool. PRICK! Needlework Now includes artists from Australia, Indonesia, India, and Vietnam, celebrating 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 Tarkari Dodd, Melinda Harper, Michelle Hamer, Talitha Kennedy, Octora, Louise Rippert, Gurjeet Singh, Louise Saxton, Mien Thao Tran, Kasia Tons and Lisa Walker.
Curated by Helen Rayment.
This exhibition has been produced by RMIT University at RMIT Gallery. PRICK! Needlework Now has been supported by the Gordon Darling Foundation and is part of the PayPal Melbourne Fashion Festival’s Independent Programme.
Image: Kasia Tons, Tarpaulin diary, 2018, cotton, synthetic tarp, paint, hand embroidery, 77.5cm x 45cm (framed). Courtesy of MARS and the artist.
RMIT Gallery
RMIT Building 16
Level 3, City Campus
RMIT University
344 Swanston Street
Melbourne VIC 3000
T: 03 9925 1717
E: rmit.gallery@rmit.edu.au
W: rmitgallery.com
Opening Hours
(during exhibition periods)
Tuesday – Friday: 11am to 5pm
Saturday: 12pm to 4pm
Closed public holidays, Sundays and RMIT Campus closures.
Entry is Free
The Public Galleries Association of Victoria (PGAV) acknowledges the Wurundjeri Woi-Wurrung people of the Kulin Nation as the Traditional Owners of the lands where our office is located, and all Traditional Owners of country throughout Victoria and Australia. We recognise Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples enduring traditions and continuing creative cultures. We pay our respect to Elders past, present and emerging.
We are an LGBTQIA+ friendly organisation that celebrates diversity. We are committed to providing safe, culturally appropriate, and inclusive services for all people, regardless of their ethnicity, faith, disability, sexuality, or gender identity.
