Monica Gallon: Fleeting moments in fabric

Using vintage clothing and hand-dye batik fabrics as a starting point, Monica Gallon builds up layers of snipped fabric into everyday scenes of conversation or reflection, using stitched line drawings and pieces of coloured fabric collaged in a controlled and considered way. Her work is known for capturing a glimpse of real life; a look, a moment or an interaction. Her portraits and scenes draw you in as the viewer. You begin to wonder who the subjects are and what their secrets might be. This is what makes them so magical and entrancing.

A maker since childhood, Monica’s life-long fascination for textiles drives her. Fast forward a few decades and the years of artistic practice now allow her to take more risks. She has learned to trust her own judgement.

Monica gained her Bachelor of Arts degree at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden in 1974. She also attended the Dômen Art school (1975-1978) and the University of Skövde. She worked for over two decades as a high school teacher in Art and Design and as a scenographer and costume designer in the theatre industry. She is a member of Konstnärernas Riksorganisation (the Swedish Artists’ Association), the International Association of Art, VMT (Västsvenska mönster- och textilkonstnärer, a group of Swedish pattern and textile artists) and Nordic Textile Art. Monica’s work has been exhibited throughout Sweden. In 2006 she received a scholarship from the community of Mariestad and her work from the project was shown in Mariestad’s public spaces including the library and hospital.

Join us to discover Monica’s inspirations and methods. In this interview, she shares her artistic journey, which started by delving into her grandmother’s stash of fabric to make clothes for her dolls when she was a young child. She discusses the benefits of being able to work in a tranquil environment away from the hubbub of city life and how she finds herself really staring at people, taking in the minute details and then using those day-to-day interactions and moments to inspire her work.

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Which way to 'Starry Night'? A reimagined MoMA opens to the public

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Tate Modern opens a major exhibition of the work of visionary artist Nam June Paik

Tate Modern presents a major exhibition of the work of visionary Korean-born artist Nam June Paik. Renowned for his innovative use of emerging technologies, Paik’s playfully entertaining work remains an inspiration for artists, musicians and performers across the globe. Over 200 artworks, photographs, films and archive objects are brought together in a mesmerising riot of light and sound, from rarely seen early experiments to large-scale immersive installations. Nam June Paik (1932-2006) developed a collaborative and interdisciplinary practice that foresaw the importance of mass media and new technologies, coining the phrase ‘electronic superhighway’ to predict the future of communication in an internet age. He has become synonymous with the electronic image through a prodigious output of manipulated TV sets, live performances, global television broadcasts, single-channel videos, and video installations.

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Degas and his dancers: New show at Musee d'Orsay demolishes myth

It has always been assumed that Edgar Degas worked in the wings and rehearsal rooms of the Paris Opera to produce his staggering pictures of its dancers. But, like the ballets themselves, it turns out that his behind-the-scenes masterpieces were a brilliant illusion. “All his scenes of the Opera are phantasmagoric,” said Henri Loyrette, former head of the Louvre and Musee d’Orsay in Paris. A huge new show at the Orsay put together by the French art historian reveals that Degas hardly ever sketched in the theatre, never mind backstage. While “the painter of dancers” haunted the opera and its ballet for nearly 40 years, drinking in all the glamour and the grime, the socially awkward introvert remained mostly in the shadows. It was from there that he observed dancers and their predatory “patrons” as well as the mothers who often pimped their daughter

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"Picasso to Hockney" explores visual artists' designs for performance

As museums expand their role in the world and cultivate new audiences, The McNay engages a broad spectrum of art, music, dance, and theatre lovers through its fall exhibition Picasso to Hockney: Modern Art on Stage. This presentation explores how visual artists designed for performance, challenged conventional theatre practices, and often redefined their own work in the process. “Picasso to Hockney reinforces the McNay’s commitment to engaging absolutely everyone,” said Richard Aste, McNay Director. “By defining the arts broadly to incorporate everything from painting to performance to fashion, we can speak to even more backgrounds, identities, and interests in our community and around the world.” The unique exhibition features more than 100 unique artworks from one of the McNay’s great strengths: the world-renowned

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