Innovative Threads
August 02, 2026 - August 30, 2026
RK Contemporary 32 Main Street Riebeek Kasteel
Fibre art has undergone a remarkable transformation over the past few decades. Once viewed as “craft” or “women’s work” and often excluded from major galleries and museums, it now occupies a respected place within the contemporary art world, sitting at the intersection of fine art, craft, design, and social commentary. Many leading contemporary artists use textiles, embroidery, weaving, knotting, quilting and felt-making as serious artistic media rather than purely functional or decorative forms.
Several factors have contributed to its rise:
-Museums and biennales now regularly include fibre-based installations and textile works alongside painting and sculpture.
-Fibre art often addresses themes such as identity, gender, memory, migration, sustainability, politics, and environmental concerns.
-There has been a renewed appreciation for slow, hand-made processes in an increasingly digital world.
Contemporary artists frequently combine traditional textile techniques with unconventional materials, digital technology, photography, sculpture, and installation.
In South Africa fibre art is particularly vibrant. Artists draw on rich traditions of weaving, beadwork, basketry, embroidery, and textile practices while engaging with contemporary issues. The distinction between craft and fine art has become increasingly blurred, allowing fibre artists to be recognised alongside painters and sculptors.
For galleries, fibre art is also attracting a new generation of collectors. Collectors appreciate its tactile qualities, technical mastery, and conceptual depth. As a result, strong fibre works increasingly command significant prices and feature in important private and public collections.
On a more personal note, I had the privilege of working for Margie Garratt, who founded Innovative Threads in 1996 and successfully curated the exhibition for a decade, playing a significant role in establishing fibre art within the contemporary art landscape. Under her stewardship, Innovative Threads travelled extensively, with exhibitions presented in the USA, Germany, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Japan and New Zealand, firmly placing South African fibre art on the international map.
With Margie’s blessing, I decided to reimagine the exhibition for today’s world, and it is my hope that it will continue to grow into a significant annual event, celebrating the innovation, creativity and relevance of contemporary fibre art.
Katja Abbott | Willemien de Villiers | Dineo Ponde Mafora | Leah Johnson
Leila Walter | Nina Kruger | Virginia McKenney & Margaret Courtney-Clarke
