Day four on a Viking cruise from Venice to Rome, and whatever Kate Jenkins had eaten ashore was photographed first, then eaten, then rebuilt in yarn back in her cabin. That was her method for the whole week. She went through Venice for cicchetti and Aperol spritz, then watched a Neapolitan pizza go from dough to oven, and everything went into a sketchbook and a shipboard diary. The trip has now become Kate’s Knitalian, a solo show at Air Contemporary in London’s Ham Yard that runs from until 5 December.
Installation image of Kate Jenkins' Knitalian at Air Contemporary.
The gallery has been dressed as an old-fashioned Italian restaurant and delicatessen, with more than 500 knitted, crocheted and embroidered works filling the room. Jenkins describes the look as “Wes Anderson meets Lina Stores”, a reference to the nostalgic charm of the Soho deli. Spaghetti tangles on the shelves and visitors can build their own pizza at an interactive station, though the toppings stay firmly on the yarn side of things.
Kate Jenkins, Smileyolis. Knitted hand embroidered smiley ravioli with crocheted basil. Hand stitched onto archival print.
The jokes are as carefully made as the stitches. A smiling ravioli goes by the name Smileyoli, and a leg of Parma ham is labelled senza carne, complete with a grinning pig’s face. That one is an in-joke from Jenkins, who is a pescatarian. Many of the titles carry a textile pun, and she is happy to admit the aim. “I want it to be enjoyable, to amuse people and make them laugh.”
Balineum bespoke 'Tomasso' tile, alongside knitted food products by Kate Jenkins.
That humour is what drew in Sarah Watson, founder of ceramics brand Balineum. After seeing Jenkins’ fantastical equestrian installation in the Hermès window in Mayfair this summer, Watson sent her a self-described “fangirl message”. The two met and began planning bespoke tiles for the show. Jenkins had already been admiring the tiled backdrops of traditional Italian delis, where salamis and red onions hang in front of glazed panels. She arrived at the meeting carrying a very large tomato bought at a deli that morning. That tomato became Tomasso, the show’s cheeky mascot, who now sits on a tube-lined tile panel above the counter.
Above left: Pomodoro II: Six individually knitted, crocheted & embroidered tomatoes in a tin can. Above right: Olive Branched I:vKnitted, crocheted and embroidered branch of olives in a vintage tin can. Bottom: Tins of Italian Fins:v16 assorted tins of sardines & mackerel all individually knitted, crocheted, hand sequinned & embroidered.
The tile team in Stoke worked from Jenkins’ original sketches, which follows the same route as her textile pieces. She spots something out in the world, draws it, and then makes it. Hers is a practice built on looking closely at ordinary things, from a carton of chips to a tin of sardines, and giving them the patience of handwork.
Kate Jenkins, A Slice of Knitaly. Pizza with an array of toppings, each individually knitted, crocheted, embroidered & sequinned by hand.
This is far from her first imaginary world. Earlier ones include a knitted British greasy-spoon café and a fish counter called Kate’s Plaice the Stitchmongers. Her explanation for how these projects grow is disarmingly simple: “I get so many ideas for things and get really carried away. Then I just say, ‘Well, I might as well just go for it and do all of it!’”
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Further Information:
Kate Jenkins' Knitalian is on show now at the Air Contemporary, London. Entry is free with no booking needed. The gallery is open Tuesday to Friday, 10am to 6pm, and Saturday, 10am to 5pm, at 4 Ham Yard, Soho, W1D 7DT.
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Image Credits:
Lead: Installation image of Kate Jenkins' Knitalian at the Air Contemporary.
All further images courtesy of the artist and Air Contemporary, and as credited in captions.