By Rachel Hine
2023
woven tapestry, cotton, wool, metallic yarn
19.5x24cm framed
ARTIST STATEMENT
This portrait reflects my ongoing interest is the representation of women in textiles, (wearing textiles and made of tapestry weaving). Using references of early colour photography, a teenage girl poses wearing a kimono with a peony in her hair. This kind of subject matter was very popular in the early 1900s, I have a photograph of my own young Nana posed with similar styling.
BIO
Rachel Hine, a Geelong-based artist, is a tapestry weaver known for her intricate tapestries that blend expressive portraits with rich textile references. Her art shows connections between historical concepts and contemporary imagery, creating a narrative that unfolds with each thread.
In Hine's own words, "There are so many things I love about tapestry weaving. When you begin, there is nothing but an idea and maybe a drawing, and as you create a warp, and then add the weft, you build the image as well as feel it being made. Tapestry has qualities that can make it completely itself, but can also mimic other mediums like drawing and paint. Its sculptural possibilities are also exciting for me."
Rachel has a BA Masters of Fine Arts from Monash University, and has been exhibiting her work in both group and solo exhibitions since the late 1990s. Her formative years saw her immersed in extensive training at the Australian Tapestry Workshop from 2000-2006, contributing to the depth and precision in her weavings.
Rachel's tapestry titled "Heard not the voice of a bird" recently (2020) acquired by the Geelong Art Gallery, with the support of Christine Bell, Geelong Contemporary, and the Sybil Craig Bequest Fund. With an unwavering enthusiasm for presenting contemporary tapestry, Rachel Hine continues to weave narratives that engage and intrigue.