The Beautiful Forevers

contemporary painting and historic textiles

Curated by MArgaret Lanzetta

RARA AVIS, Long Island City, New York Sept 7-22

The Beautiful Forevers, an exhibition of contemporary painting in dialogue with historic global textiles, Each artist addresses one or more affinities to a significant aspect of textiles: color: Steve DeFrank, symbolism: Tamara Gonzales, politics: Joyce Kozloff, pattern: Margaret Lanzetta, materiality: Holly Miller, and thread: Sarah G. Sharpe.

The Beautiful Forevers presents a visual and conceptual dialogue between six artists and textiles drawn from artist Margaret Lanzetta’s extensive collection. This collection began with the acquisition of a blue and white cotton weaving in Luxor, Egypt in 1978. Her diverse collection now includes Guatemalan huipils, African bark cloths, Malaysian songkets, and Indian tie-dyed and block printed fabrics, etc. The title, The Beautiful Forevers, is excerpted from the 2012 non-fiction book by Katherine Boo, chronicling the lives of slum dwellers in Mumbai. These slum dwellers, like many textile artisans, toil anonymously; rarely credited for their work or talents. Yet, like textile artisans, they create works that are beautiful forever.

The exhibition is featured as part of the New York Textile Month IV, September 2024.