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Tau Lewis (born 1993 in Toronto, Ontario) is a Jamacian-Canadian artist working in a variety of mediums including hand-sewn, carved, and assemblage pieces.[1][2]
Artistic practice edit
Lewis's practice works with found materials, including seashells and fabric scraps. She uses recycling because it is circular and has roots in her ancestry.[3] Lewis's earlier work used materials such as “wood, scrap metal, cement, wire, plaster, stones, paint cans, chains and rebar, her latest work relaxes further into fabric.”[3] Using the globally sourced materials she creates a sense of community and ancestry in the work.[4] Lewis's use of reclaimed scraps and materials connects with histories of resourcefulness and is environmentally conscious.[5]
In 2018, Lewis was awarded the Frieze Frame Stand Prize for her solo presentation with Cooper Cole Gallery at Frieze New York City, USA.[6]
Tau Lewis is represented by Night Gallery, Los Angeles,[7] and Stephen Freidman Gallery, London, UK.[8]
Selected Works edit
the sighting of the last shadow dweller (original sea kin) (2018) edit
Lewis's twelve-foot-long quilt consists of hand-stitched materials including leather and reclaimed fabric.[9] The materials are stitched together irregularly with no uniform shape or pattern, with the blue color and natural form creating an "apparent visual reference to water and aquatic systems."[5]
T.A.U.B.I.S. (2020) edit
Part of a 2020 exhibition at Toronto art gallery Cooper Cole, Lewis's use of "hand-sewn sculptural textiles reflect on non-gendered motherhood and gardens as sources of knowledge and growth."[10] This work is part of Lewis's ongoing use of upcycled and reclaimed household textiles for sculptural production, created with a range of materials from recycled and hand dyed fabrics, recycled leather, cotton batting, beads, acrylic paint, PVA, glue, metal hoop skirt, and pipes, to sea shells.[10][4]
Mater Dei (2022) edit
This sculptural work was created for Vox Populi, Vox Dei, a 2022 exhibition at New York gallery 52 Walker. The work's title, translating to "mother of god," connects to the exhibition's goal of creating a space for contemplation and exploration of spirtuality.[11]
Exhibitions edit
In 2018, Lewis had her first institutional solo exhibition in Canada in the Agnes Etherington Art Centre.[1] In 2021 Lewis' sculpture "Symphony" was exhibited in the Rotunda of the National Gallery of Canada in Ottawa as part of its Contemporary Projects series.[12]
References edit
- ^ a b "Tau Lewis: when last you found me here". Agnes Etherington Art Centre. Retrieved 22 September 2021.
- ^ "Tau Lewis". The Hepworth Wakefield. Retrieved 22 September 2021.
- ^ a b "Groundations". Canadian art.
- ^ a b "Suspended Blossoms and Patchwork Characters Imagine a Pastel Universe of Overabundance". Colossal. 30 November 2020.
- ^ a b "Tau Lewis: I Bet This Cave Has Been Here for a Really Long Time". The Brooklyn Rail. 11 December 2018.
- ^ "A Conversation with Tau Lewis".
- ^ "NIGHT GALLERY TO REPRESENT TAU LEWIS".
- ^ "Latest News in Black Art: Tau Lewis Joins Stephen Friedman Gallery, Christopher Blay Named Chief Curator at Houston African American Museum, Housing Gallery Receives Armory Show's Gramercy International Prize". 25 July 2021.
- ^ "The sighting of the last shadow dweller (original sea kin), 2018". Cooper Cole.
- ^ a b "Tau Lewis at COOPER COLE". Art viewer.
- ^ Greenberger, Alex (December 9, 2022). "Tau Lewis's Beguiling Sculptures Allow Her to Commune with Spirits". ARTnews. Retrieved March 23, 2024.
- ^ "Tau Lewis: Symphony". National Gallery of Canada. Retrieved 22 September 2021.