Art Talks

The Art of the so-called “Women’s Craft”

If there is one thing that would always prevail in art produced by women regardless of the era and origin of culture, that thing happens to be textile craft. These three works by Jane Ebarle, Judith Basco and Kathleen Dagum are all inspired by textile, but each also turned out differently. Producing a two-dimensional piece, Jane Ebarle used paint on canvas to deliver her strokes that simulate the act of weaving. Still presented as a flat work, Judith Basco rendered her “painting” through an actual weaving process using different coloured yarns. Then, in Kathleen Dagum’s sculpture “Inday Dagum”, the implied craft of sewing was carried by the character of the doll figure seated on a cushion with large needles on it. From these different modes of rendering, one can see how each artist brought the power of textile craft as a key expression of fine art, which is a good reflection of the many women artists doing it as well. In fact, the movement had been influential that we can actually see it practiced by male artists as well in the prevailing art scene.