an assemblage made from tapestry elements and dozens of picture frames

In Immersive Mixed-Media Tapestries, Lillian Blades Reflects on Pattern and Presence

Reveling in the interplay of light, material, and space, Lillian Blades creates expansive and immersive installations that reflect on how we experience pattern and texture. Through the Veil, now on view at Sarasota Art Museum, marks the artist’s first institutional solo exhibition, bringing together a sweeping array of the Atlanta-based artist’s large-scale works.

Blades takes a multimedia approach to tapestry, combining fabric, stained glass, wood, acrylic, and found materials to create glimmering surfaces. She suspends some pieces from the ceiling, meandering through the gallery space like mixed-media curtains, while other assemblages hang on the wall. Colored light bounces onto the floor, and the loose latticework casts dramatic shadows onto the surrounding walls.

“Perennial” (2024)

“My patchwork veils are wired tapestries of images and texture…I want it to feel complex but simple at the same time,” Blades says. “I want the details and the objects to carry memory and trigger viewers into thinking about their associations with certain patterns and textures.”

Through the Veil continues in Sarasota through October 26. Find more on the artist’s website and Instagram.

an installation view of colorful, suspended mixed-media tapestry installations

a detail of rectangular pieces of colorful material, part of a suspended tapestry installation

a suspended mixed-media tapestry installation made of black pieces of material, casting shadows on a gallery wall

a colorful, suspended mixed-media tapestry installation, casting shadows on the wall

an abstract wall artwork made from assembling numerous pieces of different material

a colorful, suspended mixed-media tapestry installation

an installation view of suspended mixed-media tapestry installationsInstallation view of ‘Through the Veil’ at Sarasota Art Museum

artist Lillian Blades standing on a step stool and working on a suspended mixed-media tapestry installationThe artist working in her studio. Photo by Marie Thomas

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🔗 Source: Original Source

📅 Published on: 2025-06-18 20:49:00

🖋️ Author: Kate Mothes – An expert in architectural innovation and design trends.

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Note: This article was reviewed and edited by the archot editorial team to ensure accuracy and quality.

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