Bukowskis presents Sheila Hicks at Contemporary Art & Design

From 1959 to 1964, Sheila Hicks lived in Taxco el Viejo, Mexico, where she worked with the locals in traditional ways. In 1964, she moved to Paris where she set up a studio. She has also worked in Africa, with weavers in India and tufted carpets in Morocco. Whatever the destination, she has always been careful to incorporate the local craftsmen and their knowledge and specialised techniques. Her work is characterised by strong, vibrant colours, raw natural materials such as wool and linen but also other natural fibres and synthetic thread. The material is shaped by weaving, knotting, braiding and a range of other techniques. The end result is usually coarse, with a lot of texture, and a clear sense of the hand's work.

In March 1966, Hicks was approached by Maurice Holland, then Director of NK Inredning in Stockholm, who had noticed her work and her Kerala collection of fabrics and rugs for Arterior. Holland wanted to organise an exhibition of Hick's production and unique works in the NK showroom at Sveavägen 20. The exhibition took place from 15 to 25 September 1966 and, due to its popularity, was extended for another week. Holland writes happily in a letter to Hicks that several works have been sold and that there have been many visitors, including several groups of interested textile students. The auction piece 'Quipo 14B' was probably shown in the NK exhibition and was previously in Maurice Holland's private collection.

The exhibition received much attention in the press; on 16 September 1966 Dagens Nyheter wrote the following:

“What she has learnt from the ancient cultures is the art of working sculpturally, multidimensionally with the yarn. Her weavings are not tapestries, but sculpted weavings, sometimes with a braided grid, sometimes with a cascade of braids, tassels, or layers of different techniques. Her colours are refined, sometimes extremely restrained, sometimes wild, sometimes cold and warm. Her weaves and knots provide a modern, up-to-date interpretation of ancient techniques, and you can see why she is well represented at the Museum of Modern Art in New York."