‘I push carpet to the extreme’: The craft genius who makes tufted humanoid wearable sculptures

Should carpet as a medium be as highly regarded as painting with oils and sculpting with marble? Anna Perach, an artist born in Ukraine, talks us through her new show inspired by Hoffman’s love triangle tale The Sandman‘I’m led by stories,” Anna Perach tells me as we sit in her sun-drenched studio at Gasworks in London. The wall behind me is stacked with a rainbow of yarns, and on her desk sit a collection of texts that point to the key themes of her work: femininity, magic and the uncanny. Perach’s life-size humanoid sculptures made of tufted carpet surround us, their presence equal parts eerie and warming. Their strange humanity seems steeped in narrative, which she draws from folklore and fairytales.The sculptures cry out to be touched, with their beautifully fluffy, varied and multicoloured surfaces. They are, as she says, “aesthetically overbearing”. Perach’s work is in part about the porous boundaries between bodies and the world. Their intense tactility, meanwhile, brings out a childish desire to sink your fingers deep into a comforting, if slightly spooky, softness. And their hollowness asks the viewer to imagine a body inside them – when exhibiting the works, performers do inhabit them and bring them to life. Continue reading...

Comments

Culture

Oscar winning Kramer Vs Kramer director Robert Benton dies aged 92

Metro

Comments

Culture

Oscar winning Kramer Vs Kramer director Robert Benton dies aged 92

ESPN says its direct-to-consumer streaming service will debut in September at $29.99 a month

Dave Franco and Alison Brie sued for ‘blatant rip-off’ of indie film

Celine Dion makes rare public statement in special Eurovision message

The 10 Eurovision acts advancing to the grand final

Simon Pegg shares daughter’s sweet nickname for Tom Cruise as toddler

Jennifer Coolidge delivers heartfelt commencement speech about being a ‘very strange kid’

Absurd Estonian act opts for Italian parody as Eurovision semi-final kicks off

Dutch belt out their return to Eurovision with violins

Celine Dion wants ‘nothing more’ than to be at Eurovision

‘Staggeringly grisly’ new horror sequel debuts to huge 91% Rotten Tomatoes score

Nvidia to send 18,000 AI chips to Saudi Arabia

Microsoft to lay off about 3% of its workforce

Watch: Celebrity Traitors cast in BBC’s dramatic first-look teaser

Robert Benton death: Oscar-winning director of Kramer vs. Kramer dies aged 92

Who are the major players in Diddy’s trial?

‘Diminished’ Biden didn’t recognize George Clooney at actor’s fundraiser, book claims

How the Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping cast compares to the original films

Love, Death + Robots season 4 release date, cast and what to expect

'This is my closure': Emotional Kim Kardashian shares fears and forgives robber in court

Gary Lineker deletes 'Zionism' post amid criticism

In “Jetty,” a Grand Infrastructure Project Becomes Both Visually and Politically Compelling

U.N. agencies warn that Israel's plans for aid distribution will endanger lives in Gaza

Cannes set to open with a 3-film salute to Ukraine and De Niro getting an honorary Palme d'Or

Trump administration slashes another $450 million in federal grants to Harvard

UnitedHealth Group CEO steps down as company lowers, then withdraws financial outlook for 2025

Some plants cause more suffering than others for gardeners with pollen allergies

Trump's $4.9 trillion tax plan targets Medicaid to offset costs

Celebrity Traitors full-line up revealed as Stephen Fry, Ted Lasso star and more sign up

Who is Yuval Raphael? The singer and 7 October survivor representing Israel at Eurovision 2025

Rocker stops concert to propose to girlfriend on stage in ‘beautiful’ moment

Stephen Fry and Charlotte Church lead Celebrity Traitors cast as line-up is finally confirmed

Star-studded Celebrity Traitors line-up confirmed

Sept. 11 turns life upside down for a 'Happy Family' in Ramy Youssef's animated show

Conan O'Brien proves a worthy recipient of Mark Twain award in a new Netflix special

Robert Benton, Influential Director and Screenwriter, Dies at 92

April Showers Bring May Flowers, the Playlist

George Clooney and Denzel Washington Power Broadway to Prepandemic Heights

Simon Pegg reveals how Mission: Impossible ‘rescued him from depressive alcoholism’

Former James Bond star Halle Berry delivers harsh verdict on female 007

Goofy sci-fi comedy Murderbot might just take your mind off the coming AI apocalypse

Who is Louane? Meet France’s Eurovision 2025 contestant

Kazuo Ishiguro reveals why he prefers unfaithful film adaptations of his books

Halle Berry makes last-minute change to Cannes dress amid Film Festival’s new red carpet rules

Work of two remarkable Scottish artists unveiled in unmissable dual exhibition

Nikesh Patel: 'People want to dial back woke... not on my watch!'

Singer Adonxs tells of journey from ‘couch-surfing in London’ to Eurovision star

Amazon Prime Video confirms ‘worst show ever’ is coming back

David Tennant drops biggest hint yet his Doctor Who story isn’t over

‘Devastating’ disturbing film based on a true story comes to Amazon Prime Video

Nodule found in former President Biden's prostate during routine physical exam

Eurovision lawyers called in after ‘potential hack of rehearsal’

Who is Lucio Corsi? Meet Italy’s Eurovision 2025 contestant singing Volevo Essere Un Duro

This Morning’s new presenter branded ‘creepy’ by viewers

Who is Claude? Meet the Netherlands’ Eurovision 2025 contestant

Who is JJ? Meet Austria’s Eurovision 2025 contestant

Rapper Tory Lanez ‘in good spirits’ after being stabbed 14 times in prison

Eurovision 2025: Lawyers called in after ‘hack of rehearsal footage’

Novel plunged me into 1920s Glasgow - and what I found there might surprise you

How Isabela Merced became the runaway star of The Last of Us