Gary Markle’s exhibition “Knitwork”

On Thursday, March 9th at 6:00 p.m., artist Gary Markle’s exhibition “Knitwork” will be opened in the HOP gallery. 

With his first solo exhibition in Estonia, Markle raises questions about the future appearance of fashion and the possibility of individual expression of dress for machine-based life. The artist uses a lens of expanded fashion and speculative design in combination with craft to examine narratives of (be)longing on a post-human planet that has been left to process the residue of humanity's everyday consumptive habits. 

At the center of the exhibition are three large-scale sculptural objects knit from post-consumer plastic on special wooden tools made by the artist. The knitted pieces are based on the concept of "second skin," such as clothing, architecture or environment that extends one's existence. Here Markle playfully explores the absurd notion of a humanless fashion system to challenge late capitalist consumption patterns and human-centric ideas of identity.

According to the artist, fashion is by nature a form of projected nostalgia – a remembrance of things to come, simultaneously impossible yet very real. It is (dis)located somewhere between utopian and dystopian futures but never comes to rest easily in either realm. It is this tension inherent to fashion that makes it suited for investigating different ways of being. Knitting as a craft and tool for garment making consists of a series of repeated loops and is often based on a pattern of symbols that can be related to the language used by computing systems. This exhibition speculates on the persistence of craft and its ability to communicate with future forms of intelligence.

Gary Markle is a Canadian artist, researcher and educator based in Tallinn and Helsinki, whose practice examines the intersection of cloth, costume and performance. He holds a BFA in Fashion from Parsons School of Design, New York City and an MFA in Craft from NSCAD University, Halifax. Markle has participated in many performances and exhibitions internationally; his research and creation provide a site for solo artistic explorations and collaborations with other artists, cultural communities and environments. Most recently, he contributed to the group exhibition „Pikem suhe – A Long Engagement '' at Kondas Centre, Viljandi (curator: Marta Konovalov). Currently, Markle works as an Associate Professor of Craft in the Textiles/Fashion Department at NSCAD University and is a Doctor of Arts candidate at Aalto University, where his practice-led design research investigates the question: Do we make craft or does craft make us?

More info about the artist: www.garymarkle.com

Curator: Kulla Laas
Graphic design: Diandra Rebase
Sound design: Brandon Auger

Photo: author

Thanks to: Arsenali Uuskasutuskeskus, Ulvi Haagensen, Juss Heinsalu, Reet Heinsalu, Eve Laas, Marju Taur, Ann Mirjam Vaikla, wood and metal workshops of the Estonian Academy of Arts.
Exhibitions in HOP gallery are supported by the Cultural Endowment of Estonia, Estonian Ministry of Culture and Liviko Ltd.

Additional information:
Maria Valdma-Härm
Tel: +372 511 2350
E-mail: hop@eaa.ee
Hobusepea 2, 10133 Tallinn
Thu–Tue, 11:00–06:00
hopgalerii.ee