Exhibition: On Tenterhooks

Inspired by artist Anna Ray’s Huguenot ancestors who settled in Spitalfields as textile makers in the 18th century, the exhibition, On Tenterhooks explores the past and present of textile making.

Central to the exhibition will be Ray’s award-winning artworks ‘Capture’ and ‘Weave’, which will be shown in public for the first time. They were acquired by Brookfield Properties as a gift for the Crafts Council Primary Collection as part of the Brookfield Properties Crafts Council Collection Award 2021.

Anna Ray won the Award, a major UK prize for craft, for her ability to express energy, joy and reflection through these sculptural and colourful works, which were made during and straight after the first UK Covid-19 lockdown and were presented virtually by House on Mars Gallery during the Crafts Council’s 2021 digital edition of Collect: International art fair for contemporary craft and design. Ray was awarded the Brookfield Properties Crafts Council Collection Award for the scale of the work and the context in which it was created. A video of Anna talking about her works can be viewed here.