Kayta Oicherman

Thursday, May 30, 2019 • Noon – 1 pm • FREE • Textile Center’s Auditorium

Join us for this special free Art Speaks to accompany Katya Oicherman’s exhibition, Stories of the Torn Swaddling Cloth, in our Studio Gallery featuring embroidery and video to tell a story of transforming a swaddling cloth into a Jewish ritual textile. In its close proximity to the human body, the cloth bears witness to our fundamental deliberations, while research linking the ritual and everyday textiles provides a framework for reflection and social commentary. In her presentation, Oicherman will discuss the stories behind her ongoing project to provide a context for this exhibition.

Katya Oicherman is an independent researcher, educator, artist, and writer, working with the subjects of memory and identity as reflected in art and material culture. Born in 1977, Pskov, Russia, she now lives in Minneapolis, MN. Oicherman has exhibited her tapestries, embroideries, videos, and installations internationally, and has been a visiting research fellow at the Center for Jewish Studies, University of Minnesota. She earned a practice-based PhD at Goldsmiths, London, where her research addressed 19th century German Jewish ceremonial textiles and their relevance in contemporary art practice. In the fall of 2018, she was a guest critic for the 2018/19 Jerome Fiber Art Project Grant artists at Textile Center.