Exhibition overview

134 artists from 20 countries unleash their passion for lace in this spectacular exhibition of winning entries and finalists in the Powerhouse Museum International Lace Award.

Playful and inventive, the works on display present a provocative challenge to traditional concepts of lace. The artists push lace techniques in surprising new directions — knitting human hair into sculptures of human organs, crocheting steel wire into a ghostly motor engine, carving lace patterns from the body of a rusty old truck. See lace in fashion, jewellery, sculpture, lighting and digital multimedia installations.

Lace offers the mystery of concealment and the subtle interplay of space, light and shadows. Its layering can enhance the human body and create alluring effects in interior design and architecture. Though lace is usually associated with textiles, curator Lindie Ward broadened the definition of lace to include any ‘openwork structure whose pattern of spaces is as important as the solid areas’.

The exhibition ranges from bold large-scale installations and sculptures to intricate textiles and jewellery. Materials include gold and silver wire, linen and silk as well as mulberry paper, tapa cloth, horse hair, titanium and optical fibre.

The award’s overall winner and five category winners (traditional techniques, fashion, built environment, digital multimedia and student work) will be revealed when the Love Lace exhibition is officially opened at the launch of Sydney Design 2011.

And the winners are:

Overall winner: Anne Mondro

Traditional techniques: Esther Paleologos

Fashion and accessories: Elise Benjamin

Built environment: Janet Echelman

Digital multimedia: MESNE and supermanoeuvre

Student work: Gwyllim Jahn

Highly commended:

Traditional techniques: Helen Pynor

Fashion and accessories: Richard Nylon

Built environment: Joep Verhoeven, Ingrid Morley

Digital multimedia: Cecilia Heffer & Bert Bongers

Student work: Tomy Ka Chun Leung