My practice, both art and writing, examines and challenges structures of oppression that devalues femininity. As a feminist I believe strongly in the role of women as artists and makers and the social commentary about women’s heritage of the uniquely female needlework. The decision to embrace textile has been an active one as I knew I was aligning myself with a deep history of women’s labour and a craft that has been devalued by a male dominated institution. Ubiquitous in all cultures, the medium of embroidery contains its own patriarchal or submissive history, which I explored further in my dissertation, I now look to find how to elevate craft to high-art.
Women’s suffrage and feminist art movements have been central in informing my current work which explores the relationship between textile and protest. While I began my career as textile artist, I have expanded into other materials which reflect the idea of protest and rebellion and my surroundings in Birmingham. Most recently I have begun to use spray paint and incorporate a graffiti aesthetic in order to express my ideas of protest and activism. By exploring historically provocative street art my artwork aims to graduate beyond its domestic narratives and create a dichotomy between suburbia and rebellion.
I am currently based in Coventry working in a temporary studio in my garden shed, this space has now become a huge part of the play with this dichotomy and I look to create a movement that embodies feminist discourse using these mechanisms of protest.