THE ARTIST

BIO

Annalisa Middleton is a London based artist who works with textiles and the spoken/written word. She writes philosophies and poetry influenced by different spiritual traditions, including Hermeticism. She has a studio at Cockpit Arts Deptford, where she specialises in making Goldwork embroidery; the art of applying metal threads and wires to fabric to achieve a sculptural effect. The craft is over 1,000 years old and is synonymous with ecclesiastical art. She works reverently with gold and coloured silks to produce graphic fine artworks, depicting sumptuous coiling creatures and richly dressed anthropomorphic characters, creating scenes she describes as contemporary embroidered mythologies. She carries the principles of making sacred art within her practice: the creation of hallowed objects that evoke a sense of awe and communion.

She hopes to aid in the survival of her craft by using it to reflect on our relationship with the past and to re-explore embroidery’s traditional value as a medium for documenting culture. By enriching her practice with her newer skill of creative writing, she also hopes to support the development of her voice as a multidisciplinary storyteller.

In 2016, Annalisa won the Hand & Lock Prize for Fashion and was awarded for excellence in Goldwork by the Worshipful Company of Gold and Silver Wyre Drawers. She has an ongoing relationship with the GSWDs, notably participating in their group exhibition Drawn and Formed at the Goldsmiths’ Centre. She has also worked with renowned mural artist Lauren Young Smith, translating her illustrations into embroidery. For ten years, she has honed a distinctive technical approach to her craft, informed by skills gained from her background as a costume maker. She has since worked in adaptable roles with artists and companies to produce textiles and props, including Rebecca Strickson and Watts & Co. London.