CONTEXTILE’s artistic programme has regularly looked upon other creative geographies, seeking to map the state of contemporary textile art around the world. In 2024, following an eight-year partnership, CONTEXTILE invited BILP – Biennale Internationale du Lin de Portneuf to curate a major exhibition of current contemporary textile art from Canada.

BILP’s proposal will eloquently demonstrate the drive of that country’s creators to transgress artistic boundaries to adopt multidisciplinary practices that integrate textile know-how and the conceptual approaches associated with contemporary practices.

BILP’s choices emphasize traditional media such as embroidery (used by Anna Torma, Caroline Monnet and Barbara Todd), tapestry (Line Dufour), weaving (Meghan Price and Hannah Claus) and Jacquard (Ruth Scheuing). But there is also room for sculpture, in the works of Sarah Stevenson and Guillaume Brisson-Darveau, installation (Carole Simard Laflamme) and video (Graeme Patterson).

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The exhibition designed by the curators of the Biennale Internationale du Lin de Portneuf (BILP) aims to provide the Portuguese audience with a representative overview of the current trends in Canadian contemporary textile art. To this end, the curators have selected works by artists based in various regions of Canada, encompassing voices from the First Nations and other communities integral to the country’s fabric, alongside both emerging creators and established artists. Staying true to the approach adopted by the BILP for its inaugural event in 2005, the curators are promoting artistic endeavours that challenge and cross conventional boundaries between disciplines and practices. They hope that the selection of creators participating in Contextile 2024 will provide a compelling demonstration of Canadian artists’ propensity to transcend the limits between visual arts and fine crafts, embrace multidisciplinary practices, and integrate traditional techniques into the most contemporary conceptual approaches. 

Thus, thread serves as both a medium for crafting intricate narratives and a structural element for objects that sometimes present notable technical challenges. Fibers may be woven, sewn, or glued to create works that can take on impressive dimensions. Creators will find in textile a canvas on which to express their reflections and preoccupations, a material through which they can leave a personal mark.

Adrien Landry
Dominique Roy
Donald Vézina