Le fil des possibles at Espace de l'Art Concret explores textile art beyond stereotypes

The exhibition 'Le fil des possibles' at Espace de l'Art Concret in Mouans-Sartoux, curated by Alexandra Deslys and Claire Spada, reexamines textile art by expanding the medium into painting, drawing, video, and photography. It juxtaposes contemporary works with historical textile pieces from the Wilhelm Otten collection, assembled over 35 years by the textile industrialist and shown at his own space in Hohenems. The show includes artifacts from Asia and Africa alongside contemporary works that engage with fabric. Pierrette Bloch's ink on paper repeats a single black dot to form a grid-like pattern. Ismini Samanidou, after a residency at the Albers Foundation, wove on a loom once owned by Anni Albers and created a volumetric piece using unused heddles tied with Jacquard threads. Pascal Pinaud's toile de Jouy paintings, Hervé Graumann's kitschy accumulation installation, and Mai-Thu Perret's wallpaper explore pattern. Anthony Freestone's paintings depict tartans as markers of Scottish clan identity. Ymane Fakhir photographs her trousseau wrapped in fabrics. Julien Prévieux's knitted sweaters display pixelated algorithms of rebellion phases. Jérémy Gobé's installation addresses the felt industry's decline, with a video of former workers, a sculpture from felt scraps, and a mural of a felt grid. The exhibition runs from December 7, 2014, to May 31, 2015.