Presented by the Art Gallery of South Australia as a part of the Adelaide Festival of Arts, the 2010 Adelaide Biennial of Australian Art: Before & After Science assembles 22 of the nation's most innovative and exciting contemporary artists and artist groups.
Following on from the critical acclaim that the Victorian Tapestry Workshop's Yvonne Todd designed Alice Bayke tapestry received in 2008 at the Queensland Art Gallery, the Tapestry Foundation of Victoria were keen to commission a work that would challenge audiences to consider tapestry beyond the accepted norms.
Director of the Victorian Tapestry Workshop, Antonia Syme said, "Contemporary tapestries are becoming more prominent on an international stage as highlighted by the recent show at the James Cohan Gallery in New York featuring 13 large scale tapestries created by internationally renowned artists and British architect Sir Norman Foster's recent purchase of a large scale Grayson Perry tapestry.
"David's growing reputation in London and his keen interest in working with tapestry made him and his work, Untitled, an obvious and exciting choice for us," says Syme.
In transforming the work's very complex imagery, the Victorian Tapestry Workshop's weavers - Cheryl Thornton, Sue Batten and Amy Cornall - have cleverly retained the most important details needed to keep the sense of uncertain narrative generated by the work as well as capture the textures and mood.
"The weavers wanted the tapestry to retain the mystery and enigmatic nature of the artwork and have been careful not to over interpret David's forms. The result is a stunning and completely engaging tapestry that both David and the Workshop are incredibly proud of," says Syme.
Untitled, measuring 2.3 x 2.93m, has become the centrepiece of the Tapestry Foundation of Victoria's collection and will be displayed around Australia to promote the Workshop and the extraordinary skills of the weavers and highlight the breadth of possibilities in contemporary tapestry.
Untitled will be on display at the 2010 Adelaide Biennial of Australian Art at the Art Gallery of South Australia from 26 February to 2 May 2010.
