Sophia Narrett, from her series, "This Meant Nothing." Image courtesy of the artist.
Throughout history, textile art has been dismissed as “craft” rather than fine art—a perception rooted in deeply ingrained gender biases. For centuries, women were often the primary artists working in textiles, not by choice but by circumstance. Denied access to universities and formal art education, many women turned to textiles as one of the few accessible and acceptable artistic outlets available to them. Even when women were allowed into art schools, financial barriers and societal expectations still restricted their opportunities.
Textile art, with its domestic and gendered associations, became a medium women of all classes could engage with—its techniques often passed down through generations. This deeply personal and historically rich form of expression was long undervalued in the art world, seen as utilitarian rather than artistic.
However, perceptions are shifting. Women today are choosing to work in textiles not out of necessity but as a powerful act of reclamation. They are embracing the medium’s deep roots in womanhood and feminism, challenging the outdated hierarchy of art forms. Through innovation and storytelling, contemporary textile artists are proving that this once-overlooked medium is as evocative and profound as any other.
Here are five trailblazing women who are reshaping the narrative of textile art and redefining its place in the art world today.
1.) Sophia Narrett (b. 1987, USA)
Sophia Narrett, "Seven Circles" (2022). Embroidery thread, fabric, acrylic, aluminum. 71.1 x 105.4 cm. Image courtesy Perrotin and the artist.
Sophia Narrett transforms the traditional medium of embroidery into a vibrant tool for exploring the complexities of modern womanhood. Her meticulously crafted, narrative-driven works examine themes of love, desire, and identity while challenging the portrayal of female sexuality and nudity in contemporary media. Drawing inspiration from internet imagery, American advertising, and the Feminist Art movement, Narrett creates intricate scenes that blend pop culture with deeply personal storytelling.
Born in 1987 in Concord, Massachusetts, Narrett earned her MFA in Painting from the Rhode Island School of Design and her BA in Visual Arts from Brown University. She has exhibited widely in solo and group shows across the United States and internationally, including a group exhibition in Denmark. Her most recent solo show, Carried by Wonder, was held at Perrotin in New York in 2023.
Narrett has received several notable awards, including the Galerie Magazine Emerging Artist Award (2019), a Pollock-Krasner Foundation Grant (2018), and the New American Paintings Reader’s Choice Artist of 2015 (2016). Earlier in her career, she was recognized with The William and Alethe Weston Fine Arts Award from Brown University in 2010 and was a finalist for the Burke Prize from the Museum of Arts and Design in 2019.
Her work is included in prestigious public collections such as the X Museum in Beijing, The Art Institute of Chicago, the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, the Baltimore Museum of Art, the Museum of Arts and Design in New York, and the Rhode Island School of Design Museum, among others. She currently lives and works in Washington, D.C.
You can view more of her art here.
2.) Billie Zangewa (b. 1973, Malawi)
Billie Zangewa, "The Rebirth of Black Venus" (2010). Hand-stitched silk collage, 127 × 130 cm. Image courtesy of Lehmann Maupin and the artist.
Billie Zangewa (b. 1973, Blantyre, Malawi) creates intricate silk collages that explore themes of identity, gender, and motherhood, offering a poignant critique of societal stereotypes and prejudices. Using hand-stitched fragments of raw silk, Zangewa transforms a historically domestic medium into a platform for self-expression and empowerment. Her work challenges the historical objectification and exploitation of the Black female form, presenting personal and universal narratives through scenes of urban life, domestic interiors, and self-portraiture.
Zangewa began her artistic journey with embroidered botanical scenes and animal imagery inspired by her upbringing in Botswana. Over time, her focus shifted to depicting her experiences as a woman in Johannesburg, reflecting on themes such as the male gaze and self-perception. After becoming a mother, Zangewa’s work embraced domestic interiors to explore themes of motherhood and the often-overlooked labor that sustains society, a concept she describes as “daily feminism.” Her silk paintings highlight the intersection of personal and political identity, addressing gender roles, racial prejudice, and societal expectations.
Zangewa earned her BFA from Rhodes University in South Africa in 1995. Her work has been the subject of numerous solo exhibitions, including Carried by Wonder at SITE Santa Fe (2023), John Hansard Gallery in Southampton (2023), and the Museum of the African Diaspora in San Francisco (2021). She has also participated in prestigious group shows such as Unravel: The Power and Politics of Textiles in Art at the Barbican Centre in London (2024) and Put It This Way: (Re)Visions of the Hirshhorn Collection at the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden (2022).
Her works are held in major collections worldwide, including the Centre Pompidou in Paris, the Tate Modern in London, the Smithsonian National Museum of African Art in Washington, D.C., and the Minneapolis Institute of Art, to name a few. Currently living and working in Johannesburg, South Africa, Zangewa continues to redefine the potential of textiles as a medium for artistic and socio-political commentary.
You can view more of her art here.
3.) Paloma Castillo (b. 1965, Chile)
Paloma Castillo, "La Visión" (2023). Hand embroidery with cotton threads on osnaburg, 80 × 64.5 cm. Image courtesy of Isabel Croxatto Galería and the artist.
Paloma Castillo (b. 1965, Chile) is a textile artist celebrated for her intricate hand-embroidered works that blend craftsmanship, storytelling, and a keen designer’s eye. Originally trained as a designer, Castillo followed the legacy of her mother and grandmother, both skilled seamstresses, embracing embroidery as her primary medium. This transition allowed her to merge her focus on visual imagery with the meditative, labor-intensive art of stitching.
Castillo’s works, often described as embroidered “mind maps,” are vibrant, layered compositions that explore the intersections of personal experience, daily life, and political commentary in Chile. Interweaving biblical figures, superheroes, insects, flowers, and everyday objects such as power cables and Maraquetta bread rolls, her pieces reflect on themes of spirituality, femininity, and cultural identity. Her distinctive approach incorporates mythology and a playful sense of humor, imbuing her art with a dynamic and thought-provoking energy.
Castillo earned her Bachelor’s degree in Visual Arts from the ARCIS Institute in Santiago, Chile and her works have been featured in exhibitions across Santiago, Chile, and Paris, France, earning her recognition as a significant voice in contemporary textile art. In 2021, Castillo was named one of Artsy’s “Trailblazing Latina Artists,” highlighting her contributions to the field. Her artistic practice evolved as she embraced textile art, finding a medium that harmonized her design background with her passion for intricate detail and storytelling.
You can view more of her art here.
4.) Talia Ramkilawan (b. 1996, South Africa)
Talia Ramkilawan, "Pretty Girls" (2024). Wool and cloth on hessian. Rug-hooking done with a punch needle. 89 x 61 x 4 cm. Image courtesy of Galerie REVEL and the artist.
Talia Ramkilawan (b. 1996, South Africa) is a queer South African Indian artist and high school teacher whose rug-hooking tapestries and radically soft sculptures explore themes of identity, displacement, and healing. Drawing on her lived experience and cultural heritage, her work addresses the legacy of indentured labor in KwaZulu-Natal and the ongoing invisibility faced by the South African Indian community. Through her art, Ramkilawan reclaims silenced narratives, affirming both her existence and that of her community.
A graduate of the Michaelis School of Fine Art, Ramkilawan majored in sculpture but sought to move beyond traditional materials like metal and stone. Instead, she embraced the softness and fluidity of textiles, developing her own adaptation of rug-hooking—a technique discovered online that she transformed into a distinctive medium. Using yarn, hessian, and a crochet needle, she creates tufted, tapestry-like images that blend still life and portraiture.
Ramkilawan’s work has been widely exhibited in both solo and group exhibitions. Notable solo shows include Pleasure Over Pain (2022) and Oh, I'm Definitely a Dessert Person (2021) at WHATIFTHEWORLD. Her group exhibitions span prestigious venues such as Everard Read, BKhz Gallery, and Gallery Fanon, with highlights including INNER SANCTUM: 50 Artists Explore Their Studios (2024) and If Not Now, Then When? (2022). Her work has also been showcased at international art fairs like 1-54 London and Art Rotterdam.
As a member of the Kutti Collective, a Cape Town-based group of South Asian artists, Ramkilawan contributes to a shared space of representation, resilience, and creative empowerment. The collective transcends trauma by fostering community and celebrating the strength of its members.
Through her intricate tapestries, Ramkilawan invites viewers to critically reflect on the enduring legacies of colonialism while celebrating the richness of identity and the power of vulnerability. Living and working in Cape Town, she continues to infuse her practice with intimacy, activism, and resilience, weaving stories that resonate with both personal and collective healing.
You can view more of her art here.
5.) Woo Hannah (b. 1988, South Korea)
Woo Hannah, "Full Bloom_Bleeding" (2024). Wire, fabric, cotton. 88 x 85 x 20 cm. Image courtesy of G Gallery and the artist.
Woo Hannah (b. 1988, Seoul) is a South Korean artist whose practice spans drawing, sculpture, and installation, creating fantastical and mythical worlds through the unconventional use of fabric. By incorporating this material, Woo challenges the traditional grandeur and rigidity of sculpture. Her works explore themes of flexibility, passivity, and resilience, subverting the perceived masculinity of sculptural forms. Suspended in midair, her fabric installations sag under the pull of gravity, presenting a delicate balance between fragility and strength while redefining the possibilities of the medium.
Woo earned both her B.F.A. and M.F.A. in Visual Art from the Korea National University of Arts. She has exhibited widely, with notable solo exhibitions at SongEun Art Cub3 (2020) and P.S. Sarubia (2019). Her work has been featured in prominent group exhibitions such as Summer Love at Songeun Art Center (2022), Sculptural Impulse at Buk-Seoul Museum of Art (2022), 2020 Next Code at Daejeon Museum of Art (2020), Nothing Twice at Buk-Seoul Museum of Art (2019), and LOTUS LAND at Asia Culture Center (2017).
Recognized for her innovative approach, Woo has received several prestigious grants, including the Travel Grant from the Ilhyun Museum of Art in 2015 and funding from the Seoul Foundation for Arts and Culture in both 2018 and 2019. Based in Seoul, Woo continues to craft evocative installations that challenge conventions and invite viewers to reconsider the boundaries of materiality and meaning.
You can view more of her art here.
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