From South Australian blockbuster to Wangaratta Art Gallery

Published on 16 April 2025

A large hand-built loom made by Sydney based artist Blake Griffiths will feature in an exhibition at Wangaratta Art Gallery this Autumn. The work was selected for the prestigious blockbuster art exhibition at the Art Gallery of South Australia (AGSA), Radical Textiles and will be included in Griffiths’ exhibition at Wangaratta Art Gallery alongside work inspired by his travels in Iceland.

Griffiths’ exhibition, Trading Cloth, will run from 12 April to 1 June and uses textiles to explore the introduction of particular European cultural practices to Australia that are incongruent to our climate and ecology, such as heavy woollen cloth. During a 2023 residency at the Icelandic Textile Centre, Griffiths learnt specific processing techniques of the Icelandic sheep breeds from Icelandic farmers (significantly different from the Merino wool he was used to handling), creating new work in response. The residency also enabled Griffiths the opportunity to delve into the connections between the origins of woollen cloth in Europe and the introduction of sheep here in Australia, where the hoofed animal can cause significant environmental damage. Griffiths’ exhibition aims to explore these ideas, using textiles as an approach to investigate environmental devastation and repair.

As Gallery Director, Rachel Arndt explains:

“During a 2023 residency at the Icelandic Textile Centre, Blake became fascinated with vaðmál (or wadmal) cloth – a specific type of cloth with both spiritual and economic currency. Wool and weaving have been incredibly significant in Icelandic society throughout history. Remarkably, wadmal cloth was a dominant form of legal currency in Iceland from the 11th to 17th century. Blake uses wadmal as the starting point for his investigations into uniquely Australian textile opportunities, including his experiments with native animal furs and feathers, such as the emu and kangaroo.” 

Blake Griffiths will be speaking about his work at the launch of the Goulburn and North East Artist Alliance Across the Arts Festival on Friday 2 May from 5.30pm.

The artist will be delivering a full day workshop, Introduction to the Loom, on Saturday 3 May as part of the Across the Arts program. In addition, Wangaratta Art Gallery will be hosting guided tours of our Crystalline exhibition that weekend. Bookings and further information are available at www.wangarattaartgallery.com.au

Image 1: Blake Griffiths’ hand-built loom.

Image 2: Blake Griffiths, Speculum Hominis (after Roberts), 2024, Jacquard woven Icelandic wool, cotton, 52 x 210cm

Image 3: Blake Griffiths, Coat of Arms; Totem Status, 2019, woven emu feathers, linen, 50 x 90 x 30               

Image 4: Blake Griffiths, Untitled (to be an island), 2024

For further information, please contact Gallery Director, Rachel Arndt on r.arndt@wangaratta.vic.gov.au