Rachel Johnston

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tell me a story 2025

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An interest in the narratives and history associated with cloth are at the heart of Rachel’s practice. She uses textile process in a variety of ways, mainly weave and stitch, celebrating both its familiarity and quality of mutability. A central element in her practice is the use of constructed textile objects as performative and sculptural ‘tools’ in relation to the body. She makes shoe-like forms that she wears, most often in water, as a way of exploring landscapes, a ‘here and now’ representation of the experience of being in a place and a symbol of journey making. These ‘wearings’ become the basis for experiencing the world in detail, a focal point for observing the rhythms and repetitions inherent in nature. An implicit gathering together of stories happens in this moment of wearing - sensory memories, political histories of production and geological time collide to create new narratives and interpretations in woven and stitched form.

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Rachel studied painting before completing an MA in Fine Art Tapestry at the Royal College of Art in 1993. She has worked with communities around the UK to produce commissioned and public artworks and was for many years a senior lecturer in Fine Art at the University of Chichester. She is a member of Art Space Portsmouth and has exhibited widely including a solo show ‘All Rivers Run North’ in 2021/22 at the West Gallery, Quay Arts, Isle of Wight. Recent group shows have included the Cordis Prize for Tapestry exhibitions in Edinburgh and Soft Geometry shows at Jack House Gallery in Portsmouth. A 2023 residency in Norway supported by Norske Tekstilkunstnere resulted in a new body of work that combines weaving and stitch. 

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Click images for details and if you are interested in any of Rachel Johnston's work please enquire below.​​​​​​​​