Sunday 18 July 2021

Sheila Hicks: Music To My Eyes

Sheila Hicks - Lianes Colsa, (detail), 2020

 

Thread is the universal language. It could become a hammock, or a fishing net, or a hat, or a home… It’s the first thing you feel in the morning when you wake up in your bed sheets, then you step on a rug, you pick up a towel…’ - Sheila Hicks.


Another fabulous textile-focused exhibition at Alison Jacques Gallery so soon after the wonderful exhibition of the Gee's Bend Quiltmakers which I also saw here back in January. Sheila Hicks studied at Yale University under Josef Albers (1888–1976), and there learned a variety of weaving techniques which were taught to her personally by the renowned textile artist Anni Albers (1899–1994). Through Josef and Anni Albers, Hicks immersed herself in the ideas of the Bauhaus and Modernism. Hicks was previously inspired by Raoul d’Harcourt’s book Les textiles anciens du Pérou et leurs techniques, [Textiles of Ancient Peru and Their Techniques] (1934) to explore the subject of cultural appropriation and then turned from painting to textiles as a medium through which to express herself. A grant enabled her to spend time in Peru, Bolivia, Chile and Mexico where she developed a close association to the architect Luis Barragán (1902–1988). Hicks sees her practice and textiles in general as an essential element of architecture. This attitude is influenced and expounded upon by the practice-oriented approach of architect and theoretician Gottfried Semper (1803–1879), who explored the context between nature, textile, architecture, and space. The majority of artworks in this exhibition were created during the pandemic lockdowns, and are focused on suspended bas-relief sculptures in various natural fibres – linen, cotton, silk – that encourage a certain manner of 'visual listening'. In this respect Hicks has a similar ideology to painters such as Whistler, Kandinsky and Harald Sohlberg (here), who tried to equate the power of musical harmonies through visual representations with their work in paint on canvas. ‘Usually, sound enters through your ears,’ Hicks says of these newly produced works, ‘but I invite participation and perception through your eyes. One can detect subtle harmonies, discover intricate structures, complex sequences, and enjoy an infinite range of colours, as when you listen to music.’ ‘Music to My Eyes’ amounts to a visual concert. Just as instruments are arranged in order to heighten their collective impact, so too have these sculptural objects and reliefs been orchestrated to elicit an instant sensory and emotional response. ‘To be here and now, seeking harmony’, Hicks says of her intentions with the exhibition. ‘To make immediate impact and, hopefully, leave lasting impressions.’ Mission accomplished I'd say, this exhibition was indeed music to my eyes.

 

Arc-en-ciel, 2021

Arc-en-ciel, (detail), 2021
 
Generosity, 2021
 
Generosity, 2021
 
Untitled, 2021
Ripe Rip, 2019
 
Ripe Rip, (detail), 2019
 
Lianes Colsa, 2020
 
Peace Barrier, 2018
 
Peace Barrier, (detail), 2018
 
Peace Barrier, 2018
 
Wave Wave Wave, 2021
 

Roch Nel, 2020
 
Phare de Stiff, 2020
 
Pen ar Rugel, 2020
 
Mean Melen, 2020
 
Lampaul, 2020
 
Treasured Moments Shared, 2021
 

Partner of Mercurial, 2021
 




Sheila Hicks: Music To My Eyes
until 31st July
Alison Jacques Gallery
16-18 Berners Street
London
W1T

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