Lily Cheetham- Taught Memories

About

Lily Cheetham has emerged over the past few years as a spokesperson for craft as Fine Art, analysing and examining through patchwork and textile. In this, her debut solo show 'Taught Memories' she explores the complex and often schizophrenic relationship between our knowledge and accepted perception of 'craft' and 'fine art', whilst searching through memory - more specifically her own memories. The skill and time that goes in to her works are congenital with the other strong threads that run through her practice - memory and family history; 'It deals with the idea of memories - or what we think we have as memories - as some are narratives that have been handed down to me by family.' With the recent discovery and inheritance of a huge volume of woodcuts from her Artist relatives, dating from 1930-1980 (Norman Janes and Barbara Greg) Lily has been able to explore her studio work in new depth and elevate it to a maturity and grace rivaling that of her contemporaries and prominent textile artists such as Michiko Kawarabayashi, Claire Barber and Aune Taamal. As an exhibition, 'Taught Memories' has succeeded in firmly outlining the argument for the 'arts and crafts' as a serious art form, as well as showcasing the skill and originality of the artist.