The past week I visited the incredible exhibition  'Magdalena Abakanowicz: Every Tangle of Thread and Rope' at the Tate Modern. Being a textiles lover and texture fiend myself, the sheer scale of Abakanowicz pieces alongside the details that her pieces reveal had got me staring at each artwork in a complete state of awe. My eyes just couldn't get enough and I tried absorbing as much of the textures as possible.

 

 

The reality is that a fine art textiles exhibition is something you don't see so much of. Perhaps textile art has never been considered fine art is because it has always had a practical purpose? Textile art is used to create, often, beautiful things such as blankets and other items that aid in daily life, whereas fine art is only for viewing or entertainment purposes. Even though the art that is produced under textiles can be stunning to look at, it still doesn't count. Well, it didn't until Magdalena Abakanowicz changed the story.

 

 

The pioneering textile artist defined her own artistic language and resisted pre-defined categories of tapestry, textile, craft, decorative art or fine art. A new genre was named for her: the 'Abakans'; these huge organ-like woven sculptures made from sisal, wool, and hessian.

 

Throughout her life, Abakanowicz maintained a strong connection to the natural world and the biological, organic matter of life. As she said: 'I see fibre as the basic element constructing the organic world on our planet... It is from fibre that all living organisms are built, the tissue of plants, leaves and ourselves… our nerves, our genetic code, the canals of our veins, our muscles… We are fibrous structures.'

 

 

Abakanowicz displayed within her home and studio animal horns, hides, shells, cocoons and other objects which not only provided inspiration but were sometimes incorporated into her works alongside plant and animal fibres. And this comes through in her works that feel like they could be living, pulsating creatures that she has crafted from her mind and her hands.

 

 

 

Magdalena Abakanowicz may be an artist many haven't heard of before, and this show does a great job of doing her works justice, and these works need to be seen in person to fully appreciate their scale and intensity.