Sheila Hicks weaves her magic once more with a gloriously colourful exhibition of works old and new at the MAK museum.
- Fabrics in all sizes, colours and shapes, with sculptures and installations
- Some exhibits uniquely adapted to the MAK exhibition space
- Just a normal museum entrance ticket required
- Runs Dec 10, 2020 – Apr 18, 2021
- See also:
- Contemporary art exhibitions in Vienna
“Thread, Trees, River”
(Sheila Hicks, Constellation, 2020; Photo: Cristobal Zanartu; © VG Bild-Kunst)
The MAK often has exhibitions that combine media and genres, poke at artificial boundaries, and play with the interface between art and its architectural environment. Which makes the museum the perfect place to host a Sheila Hicks exhibition.
Hicks’ creations sit in the collections of such prestigious institutions as the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Victoria & Albert Museum, and the Centre Pompidou, so Austria is well overdue a solo exhibition (this is her first in the country).
Nebraska-born Hicks turns fabrics into stories and installations, forming expressions of shape, texture, and colour. Her art connects past and present, tradition and innovation, and merges fine art, design and architecture.
And the uninitiated (like me) can simply enjoy gorgeous colourful installations that prove the old adage that all that limits us is our imagination.
The MAK exhibition offers more than a retrospective of some of Hicks’ familiar works. It also showcases her more recent creations and installations designed specifically for the MAK’s exhibition space.
Highlights include:
- Prayer Rugs: a series created in Morocco that tackles the issue of cultural appropriation
- La Sentinelle de Safran: large bundles of fibres in a range of hues and colours that straddle that border between tradition (by hinting at the use of natural pigments) and innovation (by hinting at the application of sophisticated technology)
- Appresentissages: a large-scale flowing sculpture exploiting and accentuating the dimensions of the exhibition space, built from masses of coloured cords, and incorporating items from the natural world within the wool and coconut fibres
- With tapestries, reversible bas reliefs, and textile sculptures, Hicks also adds new dimensions to the common perception of fibre as a material
I’ll add personal highlights should I get a chance to visit.
Dates and tickets
Admire Hicks’ works from December 10th, 2020 to April 18th, 2021. The MAK temporary exhibitions require no special fee to view, just a normal entrance ticket for the museum (or a relevant sightseeing pass).
The Hicks exhibition coincides for much of its length with the Loos exhibition, should you wish to learn about more homegrown architectural art in the form of Adolf Loos’s designs for homes and housing.
How to get to the exhibition
See the main MAK page for travel suggestions. Once inside, be sure to visit the museum’s carpets gallery, too, which features works from various regions and eras in a remarkable overarching cocoon-like design.
Address: Stubenring 5, 1010 Vienna