The Hands That Unravel the Sweater

The Hands That Unravel the Sweater is not just an exhibition, it is a statement, a conversation and a reflection about the times we are living in. It is commentary on the social realm, norms and the patterns of inequalities that have been woven together through colonialism, discrimination and power structures. Woven into this context are ten artists and collectives whose practices define contemporary realities and bring attention to the ways in which these complex issues have existed, and still remain, in society—in our institutions, in the media, in our communities and in our thoughts. 

Participating artists include Ahmed Umar, Boom! Glass Group, Elisabeth Haarr, Erika Stöckel, Faith Ringgold, Hannah Ryggen, Hannah Ryggen Army, Karen Kviltu Lidal, matt lambert and Matt J. Smith. They are motivated by personal experiences, as well as experiences from the world around them relating to national and international events but also the cultural and historical. Their practices are framed through various craft-based materials such as ceramics, glass, jewelry, metal, textile and wood. United through advocacy, making, traditions and collective empowerment their concerns and knowledge is shared, thus contributing to new definitions, new skills and new ways of looking at the world. 

The exhibition will pair together the artists’ works in five duets in order to create intimate moments between the works and conversations between the artists. The exhibition is inspired by the idea to pair Swedish-Norwegian artist Hannah Ryggen—who took politically and emotionally charged media images and stories from around the world and translated them to woven tapestries—with Faith Ringgold, an African American artist well known for her story quilts and her practice through which she advocates for people of color and takes racist and socially unjust narratives and rewrites them. Both artists engage in the visual and the emotional, but the purpose of the duet is not about comparing or contrasting the aesthetics or material processes, rather it is about encouraging ways to share experiences and ideas behind the works with audiences and to encourage ways to consider how these issues in society can—and should be—challenged.

The duets
Faith Ringgold and Hannah Ryggen
Elisabeth Haarr and Karen Kviltu Lidal
Ahmed Umar and matt lambert
Erika Stöckel and Matt J Smith
Boom! Glass Group and Hannah Ryggen Army

The Hands That Unravel the Sweater is curated by Anne Klontz for The Norwegian Association of Arts and Crafts and The North Norwegian Arts Centre. The exhibition is open from 18 June –14 August 2022 at The North Norwegian Arts Centre in Svolvær, Lofoten. Graphic identity created by William Jokijärvi Andersson and Oskar Laurin.