Weave through a forest-like installation of some of the most significant ‘Abakans’ by renowned Polish sculptor and fibre artist Magdalena Abakanowicz.
Widely regarded as one of Poland's most internationally acclaimed artists, Magdalena Abakanowicz (1930-2017) created an extraordinary collection of three dimensional, soft, sculptures in the 1960s. Deriving from her surname, the Abakans were a radical departure from the traditional tapestries produced in Western Europe and a pioneering development in taking textiles creations off the gallery wall with Abakanowicz creating free hanging, fibrous sculptural installations.
Inspired by myth, folklore and spirits of the forest, Abakanowicz produced ambitious structures from organic materials such as horsehair, sisal and hemp rope, in which she set out to “create an atmosphere in which I somehow felt safe because they were my world.”
Every Tangle of Thread and Rope is a rare opportunity to view these evocative textile sculptures, bringing together 26 of the artist’s radical works for the first time in the UK, as well as a selection of early textile pieces and her little-known drawings.
Why you should go
Explore evocative works that play with the boundary of sculpture and textiles
Discover the artist's unique hybrid art form of 'Abakans'
See a collection of the artist's work together in the UK for the first time
Exhibitions nearby
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