The twenty shortlisted woven large-scale artworks vying for the 2021 Cordis Prize – at £8,000 the world’s biggest for tapestry – will fill the entire gallery at Inverleith House in the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh. The jury-selected works incorporate a broad range of materials, including second hand books, recycled plastic and shredded garments as well as traditional threads, while their subjects focus on social issues such as the refugee crisis, resistance to ethnic diversity and lockdown loneliness. A worldwide open call attracted a record number of entries from as far afield as Australia, Canada, Russia, Japan, Iceland, Norway and Denmark as well as the UK, capturing a snapshot of how this classic art form is being developed today.
Announced 22nd Oct, the winner for the 2021 prize is Orkney-based Louise Martin, for her tapestry Lifetime. Photo Neil Hanna.
Artmag attended the exhibition and photographed some highlights; as you can see, the welcome admittance of daylight in Inverleith House plays its part:
(Centre) Maija Fox, ‘The Socks of a Companion The Encourages Me to Notice’, wool
Fiona Rutherford, ‘Love Is a Long Distance Dance’, cotton and linen
Anna Olsson, ‘To Me You Are Valuable’, linen
Martin Nannestad Jørgensen, ‘Bright Red’, Japenese custom-made linen and Ramie yarn
Zhanna Petrenko, ‘Shroud of Insecurity’, cotton, wool, acrylic and lurex
Rachel Johnston, ‘Blackthorn’, cotton, linen and wool
Angela Maddock, ‘Cloth Body’, found garments
Ghislaine Bazir, ‘Alice et Anita 5’ cotton and wool
Fiona Hutchison, ‘Wall of Water’, cotton, linen and plastic
Elaine Wilson, ‘Blue Splash’, cotton and wool
Anne Stabell, ‘Under the Surface’, naturally dyed wool
Tanya Nonthando Wilson, ‘Entering Eden’, cotton
Anne Bjørn, ‘Combines II’, paper and linen
Jo McDonald, ‘Reconnections’, cut paper and found objects
Patrick Stratton, ‘Things I Do Sometimes: Put Toothpaste on Toothbrush’, wool, cotton, linen and electronics
Nakahira Misako, ‘Fusion’, wool and linen
Chrissie Freeth – Song of the Woods II
