Our 7th annual exhibition Women Pulling at the Threads of Social Discourse: Don't Be Absurd asked the 117 participating artists - more than ever before! - to reflect on Absurdist works by Beckett, Kafka, Camus, Saramago, and de Beauvoir. Through the works created for Don't Be Absurd our artists explored how they connected, interpreted, and presented absurdity within the constraints of a circular shape and fiber art.
Our eleventh Q&A roundup features Hollis Hickerson, Jeanne Ciravolo, Rosa Henriquez, Sarah Laing, Uta Kreher, and Yochi Yakir-Avin.
Is this your first time being in The Women Pulling at The Threads of Social Discourse exhibition series? If yes, what drew you in? If not, how many have you been in - and what are your thoughts over the different editions?
Hollis Hickerson: Yes. I was drawn to this show's focus on fiber arts. As a felting artist, I rarely see platforms dedicated to modern felting and fiber art. This will be the first time my felted art work is shown in a gallery setting. I am especially excited for the theme of the show. I work with an old method of felting but always bring current concepts of social constructs into my work. This show creates the perfect backdrop for showcasing this piece and sparking dialogue about the absurdity of current social constructs.
Jeanne Ciravolo: Yes.
Rosa Henriquez: This is my second time. I like that these exhibitions have force me to re-read books that I haven't read in a while.
Sarah Laing: No- [I] was in last year's.
Uta Kreher: It's my first time being in The Women Pulling at The Threads of Social Discourse exhibition series. I am focused on textile art content on Instagram and saw your open call. For several years now, textile art has been increasing its influence, its position as solo-standing art (not only for crafting), [it] has been shown in art museums and not just applied art museums, its pricing has been increasing (valuing hand-made art objects), galleries, like The CAMP Gallery, focusing on textile art are pushing things from year to year.
Yochi Yakir-Avin: This is my first time participating. I’ve attended previous exhibitions in the series and really enjoyed them, which inspired me to take part this year.
Each edition of this fiber series asks artists to respond to particular literary classics, who did you select for this year and why?
HH: I selected Kafka's Metamorphosis for its themes of social expectations and its playful elements of body horror and whimsical characters.
JC: The Plague by Camus. Camus' conclusion that the best way to deal with harm/illness, is to care for others. I use gestures of repair: stitching, collage (decoupage), and patching in my figurative work: large mixed media paintings and works using domestic textiles as substrates. These gestures relate to traditional ideas of women's work and roles of care; they are ways to work through difficulty and
contemplate beauty.
RH: I used Metamorphosis to describe the transformation of my own life as a woman.
SL: I chose The Plague because of my connection to arts and healing, it felt timely.
UK: Franz Kafka: Die Verwandlung, Methamorphosis "When Gregor Samsa awoke one morning from troubled dreams, he found himself transformed, in his bed, into a monstrous vermin." These words are among the most famous opening lines in literary history. While today, we talk daily of "resilience," "self-optimization," and "inner growth," Franz Kafka delivered the bitter punchline to all these mantras back in 1915: You can change — just not always in the direction the system demands. The Metamorphosis is therefore not just a surrealist grotesque but also a biting parable about people in the age of uselessness. Why is The Metamorphosis still a key text 100 years later? Because the questions that Kafka raises remain unanswered. Who are you when you no longer "create"? What remains of you when no one sees you anymore? Is there any value beyond utility? In an era of increasing dehumanization in the workplace, where AI systems are replacing human labor and social relationships are often determined by economic conditions, Kafka's text is more relevant than ever. With the title Kafka's bride Dora, I highlight the influential and supportive roles women play in the lives of artists. Dora was Kafka's last great love. Despite the most difficult circumstances — hyperinflation, political unrest, constant money worries, and Kafka's illness — she cared for Kafka with her full energy and devotion, and they lived in an intense relationship for several happy months. Hyperinflation, political unrest, constant money worries, and Kafka's illness. However, the subsequent diagnosis of laryngeal tuberculosis was essentially a death sentence at the time. In the last weeks of his life, Dora never left his side. They had planned to marry, but this became impossible due to Dora's father's objection. Dora was with Kafka when he died. His death was a profound turning point for the young lover. She began her "life after Kafka" as an independent and self-confident woman. She continued to live her dreams, working as an actress, getting married, and becoming politically active. Throughout her life, however, Dora Diamant felt closely connected to Kafka. Indeed, she sometimes referred to herself as "Kafka's wife," and she received royalties from Kafka's works through his friend Max Brod. Unfortunately, her wish to be buried next to Kafka was denied.
YYA: I selected The Plague by Albert Camus because I really appreciate his writing, and this work, in particular,
speaks to the theme of absurdity, which resonates deeply with me.
What do you feel about the shape constraint?
HH: The circle shape is something dear to me as a fiber artist that usually works in embroidery hoops. This piece, all though not in a hoop, will reflect that kind of work being cut into a circle shape piece of felt.
JC: It was perfect for me, I have been working on substrates in ovals, circles and rectangles.
RH: It was a bit challenging to give a perfect round shape to the burlap that I used, but at the end it worked out. Can't wait to see it on the wall.
SL: It was new for me doing such a large circle, was challenging to find the right size embroidery hoop.
UK: In art, the circular shape is often associated with harmony, perfection, and eternity. It radiates calm and unity because it does not provide a clear direction, so the viewer is not fixed on a specific point. I am stretching it! I stuck to the round concept, with my crocheting technique. Traditional circular crocheting involves making flat circles. I have developed a circular crochet technique that creates three-dimensional shapes. The crocheted sculpture grows round by round. the shape changes depending on how many stitches are added or decreased. Sometimes unruly and sometimes elegant, it develops freely according to the "taille directe" principle in sculpture.
YYA: I don’t mind the circular shape at all — I actually think it will be interesting to see how everyone interprets the work within that constraint.
At the gallery, we are always interested in knowing how the actual process of making the work affects you - please explain, if you can, what is on your mind while making your piece?
HH: I get mesmerized by the felting process and am often put in a meditative state. The logistical process is always in the background of my mind. I often think of the subject I am felting, this this case, a character I have created to embody the idea of forced identity through social constructs and norms. I often think of the character's emotional state as I render the figure, making sure it translates through the form I create.
JC: The prompt to respond to a specific work of literature was generative and focused my research in a new direction, even while I was still working within the questions in my own practice. So it expanded my practice and it has given me a new avenue to pursue.
RH: From the moment I started working on the piece, my mind changed several times as what type of materials to use, how to position the different elements and I like to have that flexibility.
SL: There is a strong sense of numbness that is going on in our society. I actually felt like stitching the gold thread made me angry about the power of Trump and his venomous ways. The black eyes exude a dangerous void projecting on the world and literally killing people. It was also my first time creating an artwork that incorporated AI in the digital print.
UK: I started with the idea of the bride. Dora's father denied the couple's wish to marry. However, she sometimes referred to herself as Kafka's wife. Kafka's insect portrait, reminiscent of his most famous work, is incorporated into the bride's veil. However, during the process, the veil continued to develop. The connection between the two parts of the artwork became the new key to interpretation. The veil no longer covers the bride like a gift. Rather, the veil is actively worn or pulled like a task—a bundle that is both light and heavy, active and passive at the same time. There is a German saying: "Ein Bündel tragen" (carrying a bundle), similar to the English saying: "to carry one's cross." The origin of the proverb can be traced back to the Middle High German term "bundel," meaning "small bundle" or "something tied together." In illustrations, possessions were often tied together in a textile and carried over the shoulder with a stick. Metaphorically, it stands for carrying and mastering life. Dora carries her life with the veil, with all its facets: active and passive, beautiful and sad, self-determined and externally determined. I will continue to explore the concept of the textile bundle.
YYA: It was a pretty interesting process for me. I decided to focus on the author’s image, which I was surprised to find so dramatic — almost like that of a Hollywood star. From there, I selected two lines from the book that felt particularly meaningful to me and used the same quote in both works, though in very different ways.
The first piece is a two-level connected hoop: the bottom layer features the author’s image, while the top layer has the quote embroidered in a spiral. This creates a dynamic sense of movement, inviting the viewer to interact with the piece in order to read it. It took longer than I anticipated — I even brought the work with me on a flight and continued working on it while on vacation. The second piece is a silk weaving of the author’s image intertwined with the same quote, forming a cascade of words that gradually lose their meaning — a visual expression of language dissolving into abstraction, “words, words, words.”
Throughout the process, I found myself deeply engaged with the tension between image and text, and between clarity and ambiguity. Working in this way made me more aware of how meaning can shift depending on context and form, and it gave me a sense of both playfulness and reflection as I explored the material.
What inspires you?
HH: Folklore, nature, and story telling inspire my work. I am inspired by the playful nature of folk tales, often used to tell stories of very raw and real topics.
JC: Community, care, and highlighting women's narratives. Looking with clarity at difficulty and the human capacity to sit within it and also to contemplate beauty/possibility
RH: Nature, childhood memories, etc.
SL: I think this show is so vital and really feel powerless when I know there is so much that is unjust- somehow stitching helps to communicate the rage. I am inspired by my art therapy clients and how they use art to communicate non-verbally their pain. I am inspired by the global fibers community.
UK: At the moment I am inspired by representations of women, Mary as a female figure, in paintings and sculptures in the Christian Catholic Church. The many roles that women take on in their lives: bride, mother, sister, wise woman, witch, ... The role of textiles as an identity for the role of women: The wearing of specific garments such as veils and hoods, connoted by a long tradition. (e.g. nuns' hoods, the wedding dress) Bauhaus women - pioneers and long forgotten The textile - the "haute couture", the traditional costume, The temporary change of identity between woman and man with the help of textiles and costume: high fem high mask (Diane Torr - Man for a day), Leigh-Bowery, ...
YYA: For this particular work, I was drawn to the dramatic presence of the author’s image and the way a few lines of text could take on multiple layers of meaning when explored through fiber and embroidery. More broadly, I’m inspired by moments that invite reflection — personal or collective — and by the challenge of making the intangible visible.
Can you let us know about three fiber artists who have helped shape your work?
HH: Paolo Del Toro, Stephany Metz, Audrey Montoya.
JC: Mrinalini Mukhergee, Olga de Ameral, and Anni Albers.
RH: Eden Quispe, Jaqueline Myers Cho, Katika Art, so many more.
SL: Lenore Tawney, Claire Wellesley-Smith (UK), and Willemien de Villiers (South Africa).
UK: Sophie Dawo (The textile works of Sofie Dawo - She thus joins the ranks of female artists who decisively shaped the art of weaving in the second half of our century. At the beginning of the 1960s, Sofie Dawo's works crossed the boundary from two-dimensionality to works of a sculptural character In doing so, she steered the development of tapestry in Germany in a completely new direction. The art of weaving freed itself from the spell of the pure surface, gaining extra-pictorial spatiality, thus achieving relief and even textile sculpture that was completely independent of the wall surface) The textile works of Sofie Dawo, Kimsooja (especially Bottari), Haleh Redjaian (Her drawings, textile works, wall and room installations are usually based on patterns and networks. The central element is always the thread -line)
YYA: Magdalena Abakanowicz, Lenore Tawney, Olga de Amaral as well as Mona Hatoum.