The Vitrine: feature artist: Jane siddall

Whispers in the Ears of Saints
Hand Embroidered, boxed embroidery 2010

27 January - April 2012

Worth the Whistle by Jane Siddall 2010, image courtesy of the artist

Far from being the craft of ‘ladies’ and aristocratic elite, the 21st Century embroiderer is quite likely to belong to a guild of feminist artists reclaiming the arts that have long been considered lesser forms of art by the patriarchal dominion in art historical and anthropological writing.
Many groups now utilise the art of embroidery and tapestry as a media for ‘high art’ and as a vehicle for activism such as the collective, Radical Cross Stitch who make highly political statements through cross-stitch and embroidery.
Such is the ethos with which Jane Siddall deploys her works. Her images are not your typical embroidered handkerchief nor for the runway, but for the use as a means to explore the feminine. She uses the delicacy of fine stitch work to approach women as being less than delicate. Instead, her representations of women are often fantastical, whimsical, strange, beautiful and completely aware of the power she wields.

Collection of the artist