Toile

Toile de Ceuta (Red)⁣⁣ | Toile de Melilla (Yellow)⁣ | Toile de Mare Nostrum (Turquoise)⁣ | Toile de Melilla (Blue)⁣

Screen printed by hand on Somerset Satin White Paper

56 x 76 cm

300gsm, 100% cotton paper, acid free

2018

Limited edition of 10 each

The name 𝘛𝘰𝘪𝘭𝘦 refers to the French fabric ‘Toile de Jouy’ whose designs often acted as a social commentary/ critique upon the times.

“For nearly 80 years the designs from Jouy recorded in pictorial form a kind of journalism that depicted everything from historical happenings, travel (popularising Indian, Japanese and Chinese designs that proposed to picture people and everyday life in those far away lands), fashion trends that reflected the fascination with Egypt, inventions such as the flying balloon, politics, the court and royalty, architecture, the classics, modern literature and the arts... yet still today companies producing “toile de Jouy” style fabrics continue the tradition of naming each toile.”⁣

My prints reference this tradition, whilst commenting upon events happening today, such as the Mediterranean migrant crisis. Each individual print is unique, printed by hand in the studio using the technique of screen printing. The prints take their names from contemporary socio- political events happening around the world.

Installation view (below) Print: A Catalyst for Social Change, group show at Bury Art Gallery and Sculpture Centre (2019).