Freddie Robins 'Apotropaic': The Power of the Soft Stuff

At first glance, Freddie Robins’ "Apotropaic", on view at the Douglas F. Cooley Memorial Art Gallery, Reed College, feels like a spell woven from yarn, humour, and unease. The term “apotropaic,” derived from the Greek meaning “to turn away from,” refers to objects believed to ward off evil—a fitting metaphor for Robins’ practice, which entwines the protective, the domestic, and the subversive.

Farmmage, Freddie Robins. 

Curated by Stephanie Snyder and organised by Kris Cohen, this is Robins’ first solo exhibition in the United States and a major moment for a textile artist who has spent three decades reshaping how we perceive knitting. Professor of Textiles at the Royal College of Art in London, Robins came of age in the aftermath of Punk and second-wave feminism, alongside figures like Sarah Lucas and Grayson Perry. Her works are cheeky, unsettling, and politically charged, challenging notions of femininity and “women’s work.” Titles such as "Bad Mother" and "Craft Kills" hint at her lifelong rebellion against the sentimentality often associated with craft...

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Image Credits:

Lead: Freddie Robins, Plastic (is Fantastic), 2025, Cardboard, reclaimed gloves, plastic knitting needles, dressmaking pins.

All further images as credited in photo captions.