The Thames Art Gallery has a new exhibition taking to the spotlight this week.
RAFT, an exhibition featuring acclaimed artists Karen Kraven and Swapnaa Tamhane, will be on display from Jan. 16 to April 4.
An opening reception takes place Jan. 16 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., featuring light refreshments and an artist-led tour.
In 2022, Kraven invited Tamhane to contribute an essay for her solo exhibition, Le Chiffonnier, sparking an ongoing dialogue shaped by shared concerns around the role of the handmade in relation to mass production.
RAFT emerged from this exchange as a collaborative sculpture and exhibition. The centrepiece, a nearly 20-foot-long sculpture inspired by a washing tank used by textile workers in Kutch, Gujarat, India, acts as a frame for works in paper, textiles, pulp, and fabric reflecting their shared research.
Kraven, a Montreal-based artist, works in photography, sculpture, and installation. Drawing on her family’s history in garment manufacturing and fashion, she explores garment-making processes through deconstruction and reconstruction.
Tamhane, Toronto-born, based in Montreal, is an artist, curator, and writer whose work challenges colonial constructs through drawing, papermaking, and textile processes. She collaborates with artisan-designers in Kutch, Gujarat, engaging in block printing, embroidery, and weaving.
Find additional information at www.tagartspace.com or www.chatham-kent.ca/TAG or follow us @TAGCK for updates.
