Thread - Sarah Myerscough Gallery, London

Wycliffe Stutchbury - Shore Road (detail), 2025
Salvaged western red cedar shingles on cotton twill

 

At the Sarah Myerscough Gallery in London, we are told that this is an exhibition of contemporary woven work but I think the title "Thread" sums it up better. Nineteen international artists show their work here deriving their "thread" from recycled rubber, roots, flax, feathers, cotton, raffia, reeds and more.  On until the 16 May this exhibition is definitely worth a look.  Here are some of my favourites...

Wycliffe Stutchbury - Shore Road (detail), 2025
Salvaged western red cedar shingles on cotton twill

I loved the variation in colours, shapes and textures of Stutchbury's piece

Diana Scherer - Apical #6, 2025
Plant root textile and jute

Diana Scherer's work is fascinating.  She develops her root textile pieces by growing her plants through specially designed moulds.

Lucy Williams - Where things rest, 2026
Californian pine needles, lapping cane, dried seaweed, mixed leaves, wood, linen, cotton mixed seeds and flax thread

Lucy Williams' small scale forms were quite a contrast to a lot of the large scale work on show.  I wanted to pick them up and examine them.

Patrick Bongoy - In the Wind, 2026
Rubber inner tubing, valves on board

Patrick Bongoy's pieces had a certain amount of drama and looked like creatures about to approach. They are created from strips of recycled inner tubing braided, woven and stitched.

Taylor Kibby -Double Skin 14, 2025 
Terracotta, embroidery thread, steel wire and glass beads

I was amazed to discover that Kibby's pieces, which looked like knitting from a distance, were actually made of terracotta.

Aude Franjou - Forest Nests
Sculpted linen dyed in shades of green

Franjou's linen fibre, wrapped in linen twine, looked like sinuous root forms and were indeed intended to look like plant forms.

Ann Coddington - Constellation, Set 1, 2025
Mixed Fibres

Coddington uses a number of techniques to make her basket-like forms, some of which resemble parts of the body

Annette Mills - Both Sides Now, 2026,
Jute, willow bark, waxed twine & raffia,
Enclosed 3, 2025
Willow, willow bark, daffodil leaf, linen, jute, raffia & cane
 Enclosed 2, 2025
Willow, daffodil leaf and cane

Mills densely layers her plant materials using basketry techniques

Lin Fanglu - She's Hill No 2, 2023
Cotton cloth and cotton thread

Lin Fanglu, winner of the 2021 Loewe prize, has gathered, wrapped and sculpted her cloth into a varied series of forms.  Everytime you look you see something new.

The Sarah Myerscough Gallery is at 18 Balderton Street, London which is not far from Selfridges.  It doesn't have a typical gallery front - you can't see the work from the street.  You have to ring a doorbell and be buzzed in.  Don't let this put you off.