Saint Mozelle in the Aphid Orgy, 2023

Steel, enamel paint, acrylic paint, acrylic finisher, repurposed leather, repurposed suede, organic cotton twill, and coated nylon thread
©  Tau Lewis; courtesy the artist and Night Gallery, Los Angeles. Photo by Pierre Le Hors.

The Jamaican Canadian artist Tau Lewis uses recycled materials to engage with histories of Black cultural production, in which repurposing has long been a recuperative activity. “So many of our cultural tools, especially against oppression, have to do with physical or situational upcycling,” Lewis remarked, whether of “a circumstance or an idea or an object.” This resourcefulness has been mirrored by the artist in her accumulation of fabrics and objects. Because she is committed to what she has called the “material DNA” of her fabrics, familiarity is integral to the textiles she selects, to allow for the “emotive transference” of memories and histories. Lewis completely hand-stitches her intricate, wall-based textile works, such as Saint Mozelle in the Aphid Orgy, and freestanding stuffed sculptures in a method she describes as “tender,” but she is also capable of carving denser materials, such as plaster, by hand.