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Ariane Toussaint (1996) places the applied arts in a contemporary context. While researching the matriarchal history of her family, she developed a fondness for the skill involved in textile handwork. Many of these techniques have since fallen into disuse. Toussaint has dedicated herself to honouring patterns, fabrics and prints from the past. ‘I see the act of making the domestic into something monumental as an homage to hobby art’, the artist explains. By bringing an aesthetic often regarded as old-fashioned into the present, she hopes to renew appreciation for the cultural value of these crafts.
Since her teenage years, Toussaint has built an extensive textile collection comprising tea towels, bed linen and other everyday household items. She combines these fabrics in the works Ouvrages de Dames (2025-2026) and Hobby Art (2024). Both works consist of patchwork compositions of traditional textiles from, among other places, Marken and Volendam, supplemented with pieces she collected during residencies. The curtains are printed with patterns taken from handicraft manuals. Enlarged details of stitching techniques reveal a hidden language that for a long time was reserved for women.
Toussaint also presents the book A Textile Room (2023), which features examples of these bygone art forms alongside an accompanying essay. Handiwork is precise and resists haste, standing in contrast to today’s hyper-efficient modes of production. For this reason, Toussaint foregrounds colours and prints that evoke warmth, trust and connection – essential elements that allow people to feel at home.
Written by Kelly-ann van Steveninck