Rozanne Hawksley at Ruthin
Caiphus, 2007
Textile artist Rozanne Hawksley’s first solo show is on at Ruthin Craft Centre until 31 May
Rozanne Hawksley combines textiles, found objects and embroideries to create small-scale textile installations. They all pack an emotional punch, many dealing with themes of loss, isolation and the effects of war (Hawksley herself was a war-time evacuee). One of her most famous pieces on this theme is now in London’s Imperial War Museum. Called Pale Armistice, it’s in the form of a funeral wreath, but tucked among the flowers are bleached bones and white kid gloves, poignantly recalling the many brides who were left husband-less during the war.
Gloves are obviously a favourite motif for Hawksley and there’s a piece in the Ruthin show in the form of a beautifully detailed Jacobean glove, but among the lace and embroidery of the gauntlets lurks a skull – a type of modern day memento mori. Other pieces here have more overt religious themes; Our Lady of Seven Sorrows shows a naked female torso pierced by seven gilt arrows, the serene face draped in a delicate wimple seemingly blissfully unaware of the bloody mess below. Other pieces are similarly disturbing – some like Veterans are downright painful – and seeing them together as a group underlines just how powerful, yet surprisingly delicate, Hawksley’s work is.
www.ruthincraftcentre.org.uk
