Return of the tapestry!

On Friday, March 15 there was a publication at the Dutch newspaper the Volkskrant about the return of the tapestry in contemporary art. The article described how the British artist Marc Quinn had magnified a detail of a photograph of Kerim Ökten and after that it was woven on a Jacquard weaving machine. This detail, an image of a man in a hoodie in front of a burning car, has become a symbol of the London riots of 2011. The riots were caused by the death of a 29-year-old man who was shot and killed by police during an attempt to arrest him.In earlier times events were often visualized in tapestries. Especially battles were beloved scenes. For example both the Battle of Stamford Bridge and the Battle of Hastings were represented in tapestries.A series of three tapestries of the American artists Andy Diaz Hope and Laurel Roth are currently on view at Bergarde Galleries. Thieir triptych does not symbolize an iconic event, but shows a variety of symbols and details. They seem more related to earlier traditions than Marc Quinns Hoodie man. Nevertheless, they are both artists who choose to use the tapestry, which is still a neglected medium in the 20th century.———Do you prefer more information? This month CODART eZine will pay attention to the tapestry.More information about the tapestries of Diaz Hope and Roth can be found in the catalog The Conflicts. This publication includes an essay by Lowery Stokes Sims and the artists. You can order it by sending an e-mail to info@bergarde.com.