I am a contemporary textile practictioner based in the Coromandel Peninsula, New Zealand. I have an interest in exploring and learning about the history, visual and textural aspects of weaving. The pictorial effects of weaving patterns and techniques are for me closely related to painting and sculpture. I am also drawn to the accessible and universal nature of weaving, and increasingly it is a medium I employ to respond to issues affecting contemporary society. Essentially I try to combine all of these elements into my work and practice.
In the studio, I weave on three original New Zealand-made looms; two floor looms and a table loom. Alongside being a textile-based artist creating work for exhibitions, I also weave commissioned pieces and design limited editions.
My weaving practice began in the Coromandel, after numerous years working in the arts in Auckland, when my family and I relocated to the small east coast town of Tairua. A practising artist since the mid 2000’s, I have a Bachelor of Visual Arts from Auckland University of Technology (2007). Recently I became the recipient of a Creative New Zealand Arts Grant 2023-2024 to make a new body of work to be exhibited at Objectspace in June 2024. Earlier in 2023 I had a solo exhibition redwhiteblue at Masterworks Gallery. In the past two years my textile work has featured in exhibitions throughout Aotearoa, New Zealand and in Australia including: Ā Mua: New Lineages of Making the Dowse Art Museum, 2020; The Search Party at McCahon House, 2022; Soft Landings at Page Galleries in Wellington, 2022, and Text Tile at Caves Gallery in Melbourne, 2022. My work is in the public art collections of Tūhura Otago Museum, Dowse Art Museum, and University of Waikato. As well as being a practicing artist I have over 17 years experience in exhibition curation, gallery management and arts trust administration.
An upcoming essay about my practice will be published internationally by Springer in their book ‘Educating in the Crafts – The Global Experience. Book 2, Tradition and Invention: The Handmade’. Recently Dr Bronwyn Lloyd wrote ‘Kathryn Tsui redwhiteblue towards a democratisation of making’ the exhibiton catalogue essay for Masterworks Gallery. Other publications and press includes; an upcoming exhibition review by Philip Clarke, Blumhardt Foundation Chair for Context 44, Winter 2023, CTANZ; an interview in HERE magazine Late Summer 2023 and an Artist Profile, homestyle magazine, June 2020. To hear my radio interview with Lynn Freeman for 'Standing Room Only' the arts programme on Radio New Zealand, please click here.
For exhibitions, updates and Artist CV take a look here. To stay in touch with what is happening in my studio you can follow me on Instagram @kathryntsui and on Facebook @colouristweaving
Photographer (image 2): Danika Fanshawe
Photo credit (image 3,4): homestyle magazine Photographer: Ophelia Mikkelson Jones
Artworks by: Mark Braunias, Denys Watkins, Guerrilla Girls.