The Mysterious Content of Softness
(September 15 - December 30, 2012)

Bringing together 11 national and international artists in various stages of their careers, The Mysterious Content of Softness explores the transformative power of fiber and its connection to the human body.  Whether employing time-honored techniques such as knitting, crochet, embroidery, and loom weaving, or foraying into new uses of traditional textiles, these artists explore the physical, psychological, and cultural associations of fiber to the body. 

The exhibition title is inspired by the words of artist Magdelena Abakanowicz, whose enormous fiber sculputres made her one of the most celebrated artists of our time.  Regarding the fragility of life in an artist's statment from 1979, Abakanowicz observed the "destruction of soft life and the boundless mystery of the content of softness" leading the artist to embrace "that which was soft with a complex tissue" as materials in her work.

Featured artists in The Mysterious Content of Softness include:  Diem Chau, Lauren DiCioccio, Angela Ellsworth, James Gobel, Angela Hennessy, Rock Hushka, Lisa Kellner, Miller & Shellabarger, Lacey Jane Roberts, Jeremy Sanders, and Nathan Vincent.

The Mysterious Content of Softness is organized by the Bellevue Arts Museum and curated by Stefano Catalani.

    
Diem Chau
Bound, 2010
Porcelain plate, organza, cotton fabric & thread
6.5 x 9 x 0.75 in.
Photo:  Courtesy of the artist

Lisa M. Kellner
Feeding on the Entrails of My Strung Out Mind (detail), 2010
Silk, pigment, paint, bleach, thread, monofilament, tacks, resin, plastic rods, wall painting, hundreds of hand formed and painted silk rods
Photo: Courtesy of the artist

   
Nathan Vincent
Locker Room, 2010
Crocheted yarn, foam, wire, and polyester stuffing
Courtesy of the artist
Yarn donated by Lion Brand Yarn
Photo:  Nora Atkinson or Steven Miller

Lacey Jane Roberts
We Couldn't Get In.  We Couldn't Get Out., 2006-2007
Hand-woven wire, crank-knit yarn, steel poles, assorted hardward
Courtesy of the artist
Photo:  Team Photogenic

 
Lauren DiCioccio
Still, Life (detail), 2012
Hand-embroidery on cotton
2.5 x 6.25 in.
Photo:  Nora Atkinson

Miller & Shellabarger
Pink Tube, 2003–present
Various blends of pink yarn
Courtesy of Dutes Miller and Stan Shellabarger, and Western Exhibitions, Chicago
Photo:  Derya San Photography