Warp / Weft

NOTE: This artwork is currently part of 'Radical Textiles' at the Art Gallery Of South Australia, until 30 March, 2025

In the creation of a tapestry, the weaver becomes the architect of its very fabric.

The warp threads, tightly stretched on the loom's frame, stand tall as the vertical pillars of this artistic endeavor. Meanwhile, the weft threads traverse horizontally, weaving intricate tales with every pass.

Through an intricate dance of weaving and knotting, a fresh masterpiece takes its breath.

Within the tapestry's intricate narrative, only the weft threads reveal themselves to the observer, like secrets whispered through dark alleys.

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Michelle Driver is a South Australian artist working exclusively in handwoven tapestry. Her practice is grounded in slow labour, repetition, and material discipline, approaching tapestry as a rigorous studio practice rather than a decorative craft.

Her work is shaped by queerness, neurodiversity, and lived experience of trauma, and often draws on gothic aesthetics and unsettling narrative. Through weaving, she explores shadow, memory, and the tension between obedience and refusal, revealing beauty within what is overlooked or difficult to name.

Driver’s work has been recognised nationally, including winning the 2016 Port Pirie Art Prize and inclusion in Radical Textiles at the Art Gallery of South Australia.