Espiral Escalonada Motif Fragment, 200–500
Nasca; south coast, Peru
The Art Institute of Chicago, purchased with funds provided by Mrs. Edwin A. Seipp
Mujeres (Women), 2023
Carina Yepez. Made in collaboration with Maricela Herrera (auntie) and Lula Yepez (mom) and in gratitude to Amalia Martínez from La Haciendita, Guanajuato, Mexico
Collection of the artist
Four themes structure the presentation: “Death and Mourning” highlights how textiles help people negotiate experiences of loss and grief and includes funeral hangings, burial cloths, and mourning samplers, along with works by such contemporary artists as Nick Cave and Carina Yepez. “Transition of Realms” expresses spiritual beliefs about life, death, and other cosmologies that are woven into textiles through works such as Indonesian palepai (or ship cloths) and a Taoist priest’s robe.
Vestment for a First-Degree Taoist Priest, 18th century; inscribed, Zheng Wuda of Hai-chang, 1793
Han-Chinese; Qing dynasty (1644–1911), China
The Art Insitute of Chicago, gift of Mrs. Alexander F. Stevenson through the Antiquarian Society
Memorial Pendant, 1800
England
The Art Institute of Chicago, bequest of Elizabeth H. Rosenak
Child’s Tunic, 6th–8th century
Egypt
The Art Institute of Chicago, gift of Martin A. Ryerson to the Antiquarian Society
Ogboni Chief’s Wrapper, early to mid-20th century
Iwo Yoruba; Nigeria
The Art Institute of Chicago, O. Renard Goltra Fund
Mourning Sampler, about 1810
Made at Mary Blach’s School, Providence
The Art Institute of Chicago, Department of Textiles Collection
Nehan: Death of the Buddha 涅槃図, late 17th–early 18th century
Japan
The Art Institute of Chicago, Martin A. Ryerson Collection
“Care and Repair” considers material losses, mending, and memory through textile fragments and highlights the science and artistry of textile conservation as a form of care. And finally “Resistance and Survival” showcases textiles as acts of defiance and cultural endurance; in this section, the works of contemporary practitioners, including the Noqanchis collective of Andean weavers and Diné (Navajo) weaver Barbara Teller Ornelas, provide insight into the enduring legacies of Indigenous textile arts of the Americas.
Contemporary Chief Set (Three Miniatures), 2024
Barbara Teller Ornelas
The Art Institute of Chicago, Don F. and Jean F. Stuck Endowment Fund
Together, these wide-ranging works showcase textiles as vital agents of remembrance, resilience, and continuity and provide visitors with the opportunity to look closely and honor the stories the works tell. Curated by four artists whose paths merged at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago’s Fiber and Material Studies department, On Loss and Absence is deeply informed by their practices as makers and their respect for fellow artists as holders of material, ancestral, and cultural knowledge.
On Loss and Absence: Textiles of Mourning and Survival is curated by Isaac Facio, associate conservator, Textiles Conservation, Conservation and Science, The Art Institute of Chicago, and senior lecturer in Fiber and Material Studies, School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC); Nneka Kai, artist, educator, and graduate alumnus, Fiber and Material Studies, SAIC; L Vinebaum, scholar, artist, and associate professor, Fiber and Material Studies, SAIC; and Anne Wilson, artist and professor emeritus, Fiber and Material Studies, SAIC. Melinda Watt, chair and Christa C. Mayer Thurman Curator of Textiles, Art Institute of Chicago, served as the senior museum advisor for this exhibition.
CATALOGUE
A lavishly illustrated book accompanies the exhibition. The volume journeys through the rich histories of textiles, exploring their significant cultural roles in helping people negotiate experiences of loss, grief, healing, and survival.
