'Hearts of Absent Women' now on display at Ararat Gallery TAMA

Shining a light on women who remain unrecognised is at the heart of a new exhibition of soft embroidered sculptures and handwoven tapestries at Ararat Gallery TAMA.

Ararat Rural City Mayor Jo Armstrong officially opened ‘Hearts of Absent Women’, followed by a tour of the exhibition from artist Ema Shin last weekend.

Commenting on the thought-provoking exhibition, Cr Jo Armstrong said “There are many reasons artists make work from sharing new perspectives, a means of storytelling, or a compulsion to create. For Ema, it’s clearly a combination of all three.” “Her powerful work is dedicated to women who have not been recognised in the past. Ema’s sculptural hearts are beautifully made from embroidery, handwoven tapestry, and papier-mache.

“Few things bring people together in the way art does - the arts are a way for us to share our stories, cultures and shared humanity. But rarely do we witness an artist that encapsulates identity, femininity, and tradition through embroidery – I think we can all agree that Ema’s work sends a very powerful statement.”

Acclaimed Melbourne-based artist Ema Shin is currently a finalist in the Wangaratta Contemporary Textile Award and has been a finalist at the McClelland National Small Sculpture Awards, Victoria Craft Awards, and Kate Derum Award for Small Tapestries.

Noting the strong support for the exhibition opening, Ema Shin said, “Many people joined the opening event – I’m delighted that Mayor Armstrong gave the opening speech then introduced my practice. I tried to explain the inspirations and the stories behind the works as well as the techniques and circumstances in which they were made.

“Many of my works are full of details - hand embroidery, beads, hand-woven textiles, and hand-printed paper moulded into objects. “For some people, the motif of the work may be difficult to approach, such as hearts and lungs, but the colour of the work and the message that I want to convey are warm, such as care and celebration, so I hope the audience can view the works without being scared!”

The main body of work of this exhibition is titled “Hearts of Absent Women '' which is a celebration of Shin’s women ancestors.

“As part of a Korean tradition, my family members keep a book illustrating the family tree which spans 32 generations, yet only the lineage of sons is recorded. All daughters are absent,” she continued. The embroidered heart sculptures are a celebration, remembrance, mourning and respect for the female ancestors and all women who remain unrecognised.”

“I’ve long known that Ararat Gallery TAMA specialises in textile art and am very happy to have my solo exhibition here – it’ll be on display for four months. It would be wonderful if you can drop by!”

Hearts of Absent Women continues until Sunday 29th October 2023 – the Gallery is open every day from 10am to 4pm, phone 03 5355 0220 or email [email protected] for more information. Ararat Gallery TAMA is a cultural facility of Ararat Rural City Council, with support from the state government through Creative Victoria