Speaking in Skins and Skirts brings together poets, textile artists, to May 13
The North Van Arts exhibition explores femaleness and mythologies of the skirt
Eleanor Hannan, Defy Death 1 (detail), hand embroidery in black and ecru embroidery floss on raw canvas 36" x 48". Photo via North Van Arts
North Van Arts presents Speaking in Skins and Skirts at CityScape Community ArtSpace to May 13
ANASYRMA IS AN ancient Greek term to describe the gesture of lifting the skirt. It was the starting point for a decades-long artistic collaboration among textile artist Eleanor Hannan and poet Elizabeth Dancoes, one that has evolved over the years in its exploration of femaleness and autonomy. The project continues to grow, with the two now teaming up with poet Jude Neale and textile artist Jane Kenyon for a new exhibtion.
Speaking in Skins and Skirts draws on mythology, narrative, figurative exploration, and abstract expression to build on Hannan and Dancoes’s previous work into mythologies of the skirt.
“The ritual gesture of Anasyrma spans human history,” Hannan and Dancoes state. “Though some might find the Anasyrma gesture frightening in its fierce assertion of female sexuality, it remains a gesture of protest around the world, restoring power and ecstatic joy to women.”
Hannan’s visual-art practice has included drawing, painting, traditional fresco painting, sculptural figurative and portrait work, work in paper, costume design for theatre and dance, fiber arts, and embroidery.
In addition to being a poet, Dancoes is a playwright, dramaturg, script editor, and actor.
The author of eight books, Neale is a classically trained opera singer, a mezzo soprano who specializes in Puccini. Much of her poetry is influenced by her background in the genre’s musical cadence and timbre.
Kenyon’s art, including fibreart and works on canvas and paper, has been exhibitied across Canada, the U.S., Europe and South Korea.
More information about Speaking in Skins and Skirts can be found here.
