Article 21

Candice Okada

website@moadoph.gov.au — Mon, 15 Oct 2018 03:14:23 +0000

Candice Okada website@moadop… Mon, 10/15/2018 - 14:14

Candice Okada is an artist from Vancouver, Canada. She is currently completing her Master of Fine Arts at the University of British Columbia, where her primary research is concerned with the visual representation of speculative future technologies and how these objects intersect with and rely on traditional forms of women’s creative labour like weaving, lace-making and braiding. She has exhibited her artwork and published writing in Canada, the United States and Europe.

Candice Okada

English

Canada

Irish, Japanese

I have always been drawn to embroidery and other forms of ‘women’s traditional crafts’ because of their falsely perceived artistic limitations, which are based on patriarchal notions of creative expression. In continuing to work with the form of ‘stitch’ and the content of human rights, I hope people will question the trajectory of knowledge and thought that deems certain lives and certain art forms as ‘lesser’ than others.

I chose to stitch on basic linen canvas and use only black and red thread. These formal choices were made to make an immediate connection to pen on paper. I did this to emphasise the importance of stitch as a mode of communication and site of knowledge, alongside writing.

UDHR Article

Article 21

Quilt

Red quilt

Katie Fisher

website@moadoph.gov.au — Mon, 15 Oct 2018 05:13:38 +0000

Katie Fisher website@moadop… Mon, 10/15/2018 - 16:13

A life-long creative who’s still learning how to describe herself as an artist, Katie Fisher constantly needs to be making something. Her criteria are simple: the ‘something’ needs to be something amusing, or important, or both.

Katie Fisher

German, English

United States of America

Czech, European

I’m not radical. I’m not brave enough to bodily protest the injustices of the world. But I have needles, and I have lots of thread.

I knew as soon as I read about this project that I wanted to be involved. Between work and school and general life, I was able to eke out a contribution. It may not be much, but it’s a piece of a larger whole—a whole body of work interpreting human rights that, when practised and used together, create the foundation for how our world should operate.

My hope is that this project of blended artists’ contributions from across the globe highlights some much-needed reminders for humanity. I’m proud to have made my small offering.

UDHR Article

Article 21

Quilt

Green quilt

Eva Angel

website@moadoph.gov.au — Mon, 15 Oct 2018 05:36:29 +0000

Eva Angel website@moadop… Mon, 10/15/2018 - 16:36

I grew up on a farm and before I could talk, I was using marks to try to capture my world. It was obvious that I had artistic ‘talent’ but, alas, I wasn’t allowed to develop these skills until later in life. I became a full time professional artist in 2002.

Initially a painter and printmaker, with work exhibited both locally and internationally, in 2004 I was commissioned to produce several pieces of environmental art.

A recession in 2007 closed many galleries and I was forced to reconsider my work. I have continued to develop my techniques, and drawing and the use of colour remain the foundation for all my work. Close contact with several older people prompted me to revisit the old skills based around stitch. The fragments of materials are layered and mark the passing of time, with the rituals of making (drawing, cutting, gathering materials, sewing, printing) acting as part of the narrative of the work.

My work grows out of a daily venture into the landscape, regardless of the weather As a result I feel hefted to the land like the sheep on the fells. I return to particular landscapes time and time again. Through this persistent revisiting of the subject, I eventually perceive the essential nature of the place, which then informs my work. I use mixed media, textiles, print and outdoor interventions. The latter are a particular favourite; I call them ‘Memory Shadows’. They play with the notion of the shadows of people passing, in time and space.

Eva Angel

English

England, United Kingdom

British

At the core of my artwork is an exploration of feminine narratives in aesthetics, media, history and personal experiences. Of particular interest is how my chosen subjects or artistic mediums relate to and impact women’s issues and social equality.

I initially resisted using textiles. Artists who work with textiles have struggled to achieve recognition because cloth has long been associated with domesticity and womanhood. Now I believe the use of textiles and craft methodology confronts these embedded preconceptions. Contemporary art reinvents itself by looking outside its own area for inspiration—be it politics, science or technology.

UDHR Article

Article 21

Quilt

Blue quilt

This artist’s block originally featured stitching over the nations’ flags. Two of the flags of these Muslim-majority nations feature prayerful script. At MoAD’s request, the stitching was unpicked, as a mark of respect for religious beliefs. The artist agreed to make this change rather than have her block covered.

Rebecca Ray

website@moadoph.gov.au — Mon, 15 Oct 2018 05:51:51 +0000

Rebecca Ray website@moadop… Mon, 10/15/2018 - 16:51

British-born, but now an Australian citizen, Rebecca Ray trained as an apprentice with the Royal School of Needlework, graduating in 2008. She continued working in their commercial studio for a number of years, doing textile restorations and new commissions. Rebecca is a textile artist whose medium is predominantly hand-embroidery. She uses these traditional techniques to investigate contemporary subject matter.

Rebecca Ray

English

Australia

Australian, from England

I was drawn to this Article because being able to vote was something I took for granted, until that option was taken from me.

Growing up in the United Kingdom, voting wasn’t mandatory so I didn’t pay much attention to the fact I could have a voice to shape my community and government. After I moved to Australia in my thirties I realised my permanent residency didn’t allow me that voice. I was lucky; I became a citizen just in time to vote in my first election. Having the right to a say in that forum has become important to me, but I appreciate not all people have the right.

I portray a sign indicating voting booths. Living in Australia and having worked in customer service, I understand we have a diverse society with people for whom English is not a first language. Inclusion is key, and symbols and images help communicate where words fall short.

UDHR Article

Article 21

Quilt

Yellow quilt