American artist Sheila Hicks, aged 92, continues to explore the potential of fibers and colors in works that transcend the traditional boundaries of textile art, drawing on an artistic experience spanning more than seven decades. She combines knitting, sculpture, and shaping techniques, utilizing natural and industrial materials to produce diverse compositions.
In an interview published by the British magazine "Art Review" on October 20, Hicks discussed her artistic experience and sources of inspiration, coinciding with two exhibitions of her work in the Brazilian city of Sao Paulo: "What Is This?" at the Tomie Ohtake Institute, and "Autobiography of a Thread" at the Nara Roesler gallery.
Local materials and traditional techniques
Hicks prefers to visit places where materials are produced rather than simply ordering ready-made samples. She noted that for her Sao Paulo exhibitions, she used local fibers, such as sisal and plant fibers, to avoid shipping large quantities of materials from Europe. She also uses dyes extracted from minerals and plants, including indigo, to treat fibers and give them their colors.
The roots of part of her experience date back to her travels in South America since 1957, when she spent more than a year in Chile. She then traveled through various regions of the continent, showing interest in archaeological sites and pre-Columbian Andean textiles, and met artisans from whom she learned traditional knitting techniques.
Guggenheim project and works of memory
Among the projects she is currently working on is a 38-meter-high installation at the entrance of the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi museum, consisting of fibers that gradate into about 17 undyed colors, as she clarified in the interview. She pointed out that the choice of these materials aims to minimize the effect of light, humidity, and surrounding factors on their colors.
Personal clothing holds a special place in Hicks' works. People who carry memories associated with clothes left by family members after death, absence, or departure turn to her. She uses them to form new compositions that give them a different presence, stating that fabrics sometimes lead her in a certain direction during the work.
The question "What is this?" as an entry to the experience
The title of her exhibition at the Tomie Ohtake Institute, "What Is This?", refers to a question posed by her professor, artist Josef Albers, during her studies at Yale University in the late 1950s. He was following her experiments with the loom, and the question became an entry point for her experience, which is based on curiosity, experimentation, and the continuous search for new potentials of materials and forms.
Hicks' artistic experience continues between small works and large-scale architectural installations, benefiting from her long experience in knitting and design and her interaction with different cultures. This approach makes the thread a material for shaping and expression, and a means to evoke memory and human relationships.
Source: Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA)
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