Archie Chesson
Oxford, UK
Strongly grounded in domestic aesthetics and employing humble craft techniques, Archie's work explores the subversive power of textiles. They sew by hand or machine to create garments, quilts, wall hangings and embroideries.
Archie's practice is driven by process, taking found text, symbols and imagery as subject matter. Through repetitive handwork, subjects that may feel distant, digital or institutional become softened and familiarised, translated into the visual language of bedspreads, curtains and childhood textiles. Labour functions as both a practical and symbolic gesture; materials become imbued with new significance through time, care and attention in a process of consecration.
Photographs: Jules Lister and the artist