Thread: Material Narratives at Sarah Myerscough Gallery
Thread is among the most modest of materials: a twisted fibre, easily overlooked, yet fundamental to human life. Long before the written word, threads were woven into structures that clothed, protected and signified identity. The very language we use to communicate reflects this history. As critic and author Emma Crichton-Miller observes, the word “thread” derives from a Germanic root meaning “to twist” – the simple act of twisting fibres into yarn. From there comes the grid of weaving, the knot, the stitch, and ultimately the textile. Even the word “text” itself traces back to the Latin texere, meaning “to weave”, a reminder that storytelling and making have long been intertwined. From the swaddling blankets of infancy to the burial shroud, thread has long held an intimate relationship with the human body.
Patrick Bongoy, Way of Ancestors, 2026. Found inner rubber tubing, lay flat on board.
This relationship between material, language and human experience forms the conceptual foundation of Thread, a new group exhibition at Sarah Myerscough Gallery, presented across the Upper and Lower galleries of The Schoolhouse from 27 March to 14 May 2026. Bringing together nineteen international artists working with fibre and fibre-adjacent materials, the exhibition explores weaving as both process and idea – a practice capable of carrying cultural memory while evolving through contemporary experimentation.
Arko, A Gust of Wind on The Cliff, 2024, Rice straw.
Across the exhibition, traditional craft techniques are reimagined through innovative approaches to material. Japanese artist Arko works with rice straw, an agricultural by-product once embedded in everyday life in Japan. Through sculptural forms that coil and bind the straw into rhythmic structures, Arko revives this overlooked material while drawing attention to its ecological and cultural significance.
Teresa Hastings, Memories, 2026, Woven Tapestry.
For Teresa Hastings, weaving becomes a means of exploring sustainability and human connection. Her tapestries combine fibres such as wool and washi paper with unexpected elements including puddled iron, dyed with natural materials such as Myrobalan plum, lichen and sweet chestnut. Her practice is shaped by time spent working with artisans in the Indian Himalayas, where traditional knowledge and local resources remain central to textile production.
Diana Scherer, Apical #6, 2025. Grown root textile on jute. Unframed.
Elsewhere, artists expand the definition of weaving. Dutch artist Diana Scherer cultivates intricate textile-like structures from living plant roots, guiding their growth into controlled patterns that reveal the hidden intelligence of subterranean ecosystems. Chinese fibre artist Lin Fanglu draws on traditional knotting techniques learned from Bai and Dong craft communities to create monumental fibre sculptures inspired by organic forms. Meanwhile, British artist Wycliffe Stutchbury constructs intricate wall panels from hand-cut wooden tiles, their rhythmic formations echoing the contours of the British landscape and translating the logic of weaving into the language of wood.
Lin Fanglu, She's Scenery No.5, 2023. Cotton cloth, cotton thread and wood.
The exhibition also includes works by Dana Barnes, Patrick Bongoy, Ann Coddington, Aude Franjou, Wanbing Huang, Tim Johnson, Taylor Kibby, Alida Kuzemczak-Sayer, Kate McGwire, Adriana Meunié, Annette Mills, Joana Schneider, Amy Usdin and Lucy Williams, whose practices explore thread through materials as varied as feathers, bamboo, flax, recycled fibres, metal and reeds.
Together, the works in Thread show how this ancient craft continues to resonate today. Through diverse materials and global perspectives, the exhibition reveals 'thread' as both technique and language, binding together histories, communities and ideas while highlighting the enduring poetic potential of fibre.
-
Further Information:
The group exhibition Thread is on show at Sarah Myerscough Gallery, Mayfair, London, from 28 March - 16 May.
-
Image Credits:
Lead: Ann Coddington Constellation Set I, 2025 Mixed Fibres. Largest Size: 30 cm.
All images as credited in captions and courtesy of the artists and Sarah Myerscough Gallery.