Sheila Hicks: A Little Bit of a Lot of Things

From the miniature to the monumental, Hicks’ colorful, playful textile sculptures of all shapes and sizes chronicle 50 years of her practice

American artist Sheila Hicks (born 1934) has made wool, linen and silk her central mediums, pushing the boundaries of traditional textile art. Her works combine color, form and material in novel ways and explore architectural dimensions while drawing upon Indigenous crafting techniques from South America and South Asia. As a pioneer of textile conceptual art, Hicks has developed a distinctive visual language over five decades, from finely woven miniatures to monumental installations that open up new perspectives on the possibilities of art. With lay-flat sewn binding and an exposed spine, A Little Bit of a Lot of Things is designed to emulate Hicks’ playful, imaginative practice. The bilingual English/German volume contains views of her exhibition at the Kunstmuseum St. Gallen as well as a conversation with Robert Storr and an essay by curator Gianni Jetzer. It also documents a master class and open artist’s talk held by Hicks in St. Gallen, and contains previously unpublished images.