The women roaring their truth through textile

Five female artists are reclaiming the traditional medium of textiles with their works in the Weasel Gallery exhibit ‘Hear Me Roar!’. 

Arielle Walker, Deborah Rundle, Natasha Matila-Smith, Serene Timoteo, and Salome Tanuvasa’s collective works are being shown in an exhibit for the Ramp Festival, curated by Maddie Gifford.

“‘Hear Me Roar!’ brings together a group of women who interact with language, text and fabric in an interplay that demands their voices be heard,” said Gifford. 

“Knitting, weaving, embroidery, and cloth-making have been coined ‘women’s work’ in times’ past.

“Until recently, they were reserved as domestic hand-crafts and were not viewed nor understood as fine art.

“Such distinctions have left both women, and particularly women of colour, marginalised from the art world.”

Wintec student Tim Coenen noted that while art was not his forte, ‘Hear Me Roar!’ was filled with “interesting expressions” through a different medium not often seen in galleries. 

Arielle Walker’s knitted pieces ‘Ka Haere au ki te Tōwenetanga o te Rā’, ‘Awa Badge #1’, ‘Tai Badge #1’, and ‘Uta Badge #1’ draw from the myth of Taranaki, and described as “an act of decolonisation” by Gifford.

‘Are We Not Ready?’, a double-sided tapestry by Deborah Rundle explores a quote by Italian neo-Marxist Antonio Gramsci and applies it to the modern era.

The juxtaposition of plastic mats and silky needlepoint by Serene Timoteo speaks on the Pacific identity. 

“‘Clothe Your Eyes You Rude Dude’ responds to Selina Tusitala-Marsh’s poem Two Nudes on a Tahitian Beach: 1864,” Gifford said.

“It combats the problematic gaze of French artist Paul Gauguin upon young Tahitian women during his time in the Pacific.” 

Timoteo’s ‘My Favourite Flower is Self-Raising’ is a dedication to her grandmother, and relates to their relationship. 

The text was sourced from an internet meme and the flower illustrated in the piece is her Nana’s favourite, a gardenia. 

“‘Self-raising’ more specifically references her Nana’s inspiring ‘self-raising’ nature and determination,” said Gifford. 

Gifford said Salome Tanuvasa’s decision to use calico as her canvas was influenced by childhood memories of her mother’s work as a seamstress. 

“[Tanuvasa] conveys gentle sentiments through her text,” said Gifford.

“Just one contemplative word is formed in calico in each of her trio, appliqued with coloured cotton.”

In Natasha Matila-Smith’s works ‘I Took Smokos So I Could Talk To You’ and ‘I Was Secretly In Love With You’, she has used aerosol on sateen to paint pictures of living with social anxiety and extreme shyness. 

“Matila-Smith’s fabric banners evoke intimacy, rawness and honesty,” said Gifford. 

‘Hear Me Roar!’ will be on display at Weasel Contemporary Art Gallery on Victoria Street until August 3, 2019.