Tracey Emin - Black Cat

“West Dean’s tapestry weavers, Caron and Philip, are incredibly sympathetic and intuitive. They have a great understanding towards the colours and forms in my work. As I work with fabrics and textiles it's a natural progression for me” says Tracey Emin of her first foray into tapestry weaving with this collaboration with the West Dean Tapestry Studio to translate one of her paintings, Black Cat, into tapestry. The tapestry was shown at COLLECT 2011, at the Saatchi Gallery.

Tracey Emin says: “The Black Cat is one of my favourite paintings. It took me over seven years to complete, not because I was hesitant, but because it’s two completely different paintings. It has bold strong shapes as well as subtle washes of colour. I have always liked tapestries and they are something that I would like to collect. West Dean work in the most traditional way and it totally lent itself to my images. At the moment I'm just looking forward to doing some more.”

Caron Penney, Studio Director who wove the tapestry alongside Philip Sanderson said “The Black Cat has been an absolute pleasure to weave; it contains the most delicate subtleties within its many layers which translate beautifully into tapestry. Tapestry is one of the singularly most subtle and delicate, yet powerfully commanding textile mediums. It has an enduring visual impact that has stood the test of time. The process of interpreting a painting into tapestry starts with a number of critical decisions: what colours, what dyes, what combination of threads, what thickness, what texture and what technique to use. The weaving is the final part of the jigsaw. I am thrilled with Tracey’s response to the completed tapestry and I hope many people will come to see this extraordinary collaboration.”

The Black Cat tapestry was unvieled at COLLECT in May 2011. COLLECT is one of the Crafts Council’s flagship events which has built up an outstanding reputation as the premiere fair in Europe for contemporary craft.

Photographer: Steve Speller

Images left of other West Dean Tapestry Studio projects.