Below is the article from My Modern Met our show:
16 Contemporary Female Painters Use Fabric as a Means To Explore Memory and Identity
“The Wilds,” by Cindy Rizza, 36” x 36” oil on linen
Sixteen contemporary female painters explore the emotional and cultural significance of fabric in Interlace, a group exhibition at Robert Lange Studios in Charleston, South Carolina. The exhibition brings together figurative paintings and still lifes that examine how fabric becomes a way to consider memory, identity, tradition, and everyday life.
The artists take varied approaches to the theme. Some meticulously paint garments and woven surfaces, while others use textiles as part of the physical construction of their work. Cindy Rizza’s The Wilds, for example, uses linen as both the support and a key visual element. Leeah Joo’s Adore depicts fabric through oil paint on panel, emphasizing the folds and textures of the material. June Stratton takes a more tactile approach with Amore Amore. The mixed-media work combines oil, plaster, and gold leaf with a constructed bodice. Instead of simply depicting clothing, Stratton physically builds the garment into the painting.
“Clothing carries so much information about us and how we want to be seen, what we protect, what we reveal,” Stratton explains. “With Amore Amore, I wanted the bodice to feel both delicate and strong, almost like armor made from something beautiful.”
Stratton’s work highlights one of the central ideas behind Interlace: textiles can communicate without words. A garment can tell something about its wearer, while an inherited quilt or familiar household cloth can evoke a person or time period.
For gallery owner Robert Lange, this ability to transform ordinary materials is what makes the exhibition compelling. Interlace does not impose a single interpretation on fabric. “The best group shows start with a simple idea and then get completely taken over by the artists,” Lange says. “With Interlace, we asked these incredible female painters to think about fabric and textiles as part of the story, and what came back was far more varied and personal than we could have imagined.”
That variety is also reflected in the exhibition’s title. Individual works stand on their own, but connections emerge when they are viewed together. “There’s something wonderfully appropriate about calling this show Interlace,” Lange says. “Each artist made a completely individual work, but when you put them together, you start seeing these threads connecting one painting to another.”
Interlace is on view at Robert Lange Studios from September 4 to September 27, 2026.
Sixteen contemporary female painters come together at Robert Lange Studios in Charleston for Interlace, a group exhibition focused on the role of fabric in contemporary painting.
“Adore,” by Leeah Joo, 12” x 16”, oil on panel
“Do You See Me Yet?” by Laura Pritchett, 24” x 30” acrylic on linen mounted to wood
“Unfolding,” by Robyn Asquini, 20” x 30” oil on wood panel
“The Box,” by Mae Read, 11 x 14” oil on linen
The exhibition explores how clothing, textiles, patterns, and everyday materials can reflect memory, identity, family, tradition, and personal experience.
“Red Shoes,” by Claudia Tullos Leonard, 22” x 28” oil on canvas
“Amore Amore,” by June Stratton, 24” x 24” oil, plaster and gold leaf on panel
“Bunnycake,” by Denise Stewart-Sanabria, 14” x 16” oil on cut rag paper, cotton fabric 14” x 16” (framed 20” x 16”)
“The Weaver,” by Mae Read, 16” x 16”, oil on linen
Through figurative paintings, still lifes, and mixed-media works, the artists approach fabric visually and physically.
“Brick Path,” by Kirsten Hoving, Ink-based multimedia layered image on silk organza and archival paper in shadowbox format 22” x 22” (framed)
Petite Souris “Little Lavender,” by Marina Dieul, 882 oil, 4” diameter
“Becoming,” by Laura Pritchett, 20” x 20” acrylic on linen mounted to wood
On view through September 27, 2026, Interlace brings these varied approaches together to consider how everyday fabrics can connect stories of family, culture, history, and belonging.
“House on Queen’s Island,” by Kerry Simmons, 24” x 36” acrylic on canvas
“Charleston Harbor II,” by Mary Edna Fraser, 61” x 30” batik on silk (hanging piece)
“Over the Citadel (SC),” by Mary Edna Fraser, diptych, 51” x 19” batik on silk
