Working Memories is a contemporary textile art exhibition that unites the works of Helvi Apted, Elise Cakebread, Janelle Evans, Rebecca George, Phong Chi Lai, Carolyn Menzies, Tamara Russell, Britt Salt, and Shannon Slee under the theme of memory.
Memory and textiles intertwine with shared narratives. Fabrics and threads are vessels that carry memories of family, place and history. Fortyfivedownstairs gallery is situated in Flinders Lane on the land of the Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung and Bunurong/ Boon Wurrung peoples of the Eastern Kulin Nations who have been making art and textiles for over 40,000 years. More recently, Flinders Lane was the centre of Melbourne’s clothing industry, or ‘rag trade’. This textile history adds a layered backdrop to the exhibition.
The contributing artists use traditional and non-traditional needlework practices and materials in innovative ways within a fine arts practice. Each artist has meticulously worked and reworked textiles and threads, offering expanded interpretations of history, origins and place – honouring the past through preserving its memories while forging new narratives.
This exhibition has been supported by a City of Melbourne Arts Grant.
Images:
1. Elise Cakebread, Eureka, 2024, Found materials; cotton, polyester, silk, linen, lurex, acrylic, wool, rayon, lycra, viscose and cotton thread. 400 x 260cm (detail)
2. Rebecca George, Material Memory, 2024, porcelain, cotton, ply (detail)
3. Britt Salt, Australian Imperial Forces (Tunic, Breeches, Greatcoat, 1915), 2024, (detail). Image: Astrid Mulder
