Qualeasha Wood Is the Artist Combining Traditional Tapestries With Technology
Exploring gender identity in Black femme bodies.
US-based textile artist Qualeasha Wood just presented her first European solo exhibition at London’s Pippy Houldsworth Gallery, showcasing her unique practice which brings together traditional craft with contemporary technology.
Combining digital and analogue processes, Wood’s become known for her distinctive style of jacquard tapestries and tuftings, with her latest exhibition exploring racial, sexual and gender identity in regards to Black femme bodies. Marking a slight departure from the artist’s signature self-portraits, the new body of works focuses on the act of practising safety as a Black woman, both online and offline.
Continuing Wood’s exploration into digital culture, the new works see the artist exploring a distinctively different visual language, utilizing the color white as a signifier for “purity and innocence.” Error messages act as both a boundary and a barrier, as Wood’s jacquard weave technique equates pixels to stitches. Religion remains a core influence of the artist’s work, exploring themes of devotional relationships on prayer kneelers.
Take a look at Wood’s works above, and for more information — head to her website.
In other art and design news, a new Wes Anderson exhibition is coming to London.
