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ATB5 Juror's Statement by Wlodek Cygan cont'd..

     There were certain themes and styles in the submitted entries and if I had to summarise, I would say that they were woven postcards, satiric drawings, childhood memories, favourite pets, still lifes, more or less clear political and feminist statements, some copies of abstract paintings, and geometric compositions. I admit that I am slightly disappointed that there was a lack of entries which would demand much longer and challenging descriptions. There was a dearth of works that would be hard to describe. I wish I had even more difficulty and needed to insist on studying them both ways: from a distance and from up-close.

     As a working artist/weaver I often ask myself a question: should this project be woven or should it be left as a painting, a drawing, or as a photograph? If there is a more convincing way than tapestry in which the artist can express his intentions, it should be used. In my opinion, in many of the entries submitted to ATB5, there was a noticeable lack of relationship between the subject and the need for such a time-consuming technique. I tried to pick those entries in which I felt a presence of the specific textile language. Thank you for this valuable experience.

ATB5 Juror’s Statement

By Alice Zrebiec

      While judging ATB5, I was struck anew by the versatility of tapestry weaving as a means of artistic expression.  Over the millennia, this technique, which at first appears deceptively simple, has shown itself to be a powerful means for the artist or weaver—in the case of ATB5 the same person—to bring forth a particular vision.   This year, entrants from the USA, Canada, Mexico, and fifteen European countries explored the technical and expressive potential of tapestry to create a range of work that vividly illustrates the chameleon-like character of the medium.  

ATB5 Juror's Statement by Alice Zrebiec cont'd..

      The entries presented a panorama of subjects and styles, ranging from hyper-realistic to abstract and non-representational work, planar to sculptural.  Some images delineated their subject with the clarity of a high definition photograph, enhanced by the textures and shading inherent to textile materials, while others altered a recognizable object or scene, infusing it with poetic or enigmatic overtones.  A different challenge, that of using physical materials to capture an intangible subject (like the spirit of a place or the evocation of an emotional response or sensory experience) was undertaken by other entrants.  A world of artistic and technical references spanning centuries made their presence known: archeological finds, European medieval tapestries, Scandinavian folk weaving, Lurçat-influenced Aubusson tapestries, Native American and Spanish traditions of the American Southwest among them. 

      Other entries defied such classification. Submitting such a variety of work to a committee of three independent jurors with different points of view runs the risk of yielding a tepid compromise selection: the strongest work, often being the most controversial, either enthralls or estranges the individual jurors.  The knowledgeable organizers have averted this potential pitfall by allowing each juror and his or her preferences to be heard, thus adding to the diversity of the work exhibited.  The outcome is a remarkable though necessarily abridged synopsis of the many manifestations of contemporary tapestry.

below right: Jon Eric Riis, Icarus #1, 70" x 55", 2002
below left: Jon Eric Riis, Open Eyed, 31" x 24", 2004

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