Aradne
Aradne (b.1954) is a textile artist who uses free-hand machine embroidery in an intuitive manner to create images that evoke the magic and darkness of her childhood spent in South Africa. Starting out from an early career in fashion, Aradne focused on developing a voice using embroidery as a medium for her art pieces. This resulted in an embroidery award in 2009 for a competition juried by Alice Kettle.
With the embroidery she creates figures, birds, insects, flowers and text that come together to form structures that she calls ‘textile drawings’. Aradne does not draw onto the fabric first, but stitches straight on without a plan. Each web-like structure is created on fine muslin, nylon or dissolvable fabric. She sometimes incorporates previous works into new creations, working until she feels satisfied that it conveys the message that she wishes to get across. She likes the privacy and anonymity that the name Aradne brings.
EXHIBITION HIGHLIGHTS
2019 Environments, Piano Nobile Gallery, London
2018 It's Alright, Copenhagen Outsider Art Gallery
2016 Radical Craft: Alternative ways of Making, UK touring exhibition
2016 Encounters with the Spirit World, College of Psychic Studies, London
2014 Bold Vision: Outsiders in Black and White, Julian Hartnoll Gallery, London
2013 Aradne-Mindscapes: Solo exhibition, Merston Gallery, Chichester
