Tadek Beutlich: On and Off the Loom

18 January - 22 June 2025, Ditchling Museum of Art and Craft, East Sussex

A current exhibition at the Ditchling Museum of Art and Craft in East Sussex focuses on Polish-born artist Tadek Beutlich, who is most recognised for his woven sculptural pieces and tapestries. However, as the exhibition title attests, his work off the loom, including relief prints and fibre art, is equally innovative, ambitious, and sophisticated.

Drawing together a range of works made at Beutlich’s weaving studio in Ditchling and from the archives held by the Emma Mason Gallery and Beutlich’s estate, this exhibition offers a comprehensive insight into his artistic output. Rather than taking a chronological approach, the exhibition introduces the visitor to Beutlich’s work at the midpoint of his career. This work is instantly engaging, consisting of sculptural textile pieces bound and wrapped by vibrantly coloured wool made during his stay in the Alicante region of Spain from 1974-80. At this stage in Beutlich’s career, he had already mastered loom-based weaving techniques and had moved on to what he described as “off the loom, free warp textiles.”

Prepare to be awed and inspired by this bold and brave exhibition that elevates the work of Beutlich beyond a simple understanding of weaving techniques and textile art. It demonstrates how this work, with its constant exploration and experimentation, plays with various techniques and forms, and escapes easy definition.