Magdalena Abakanowicz: a pioneer behind the Iron Curtain

“It was woven with strong hands,” says curator Sjouk Hoitsma about the work of Magdalena Abakanowicz. This unconventional Polish artist is considered one of the pioneers of textile installation art. From 18 April, her work will be on display at the TextielMuseum.

“I was raised with Abakanowicz,” says Hoitsma, curator at the TextielMuseum. In the 1980s, she studied textiles at the Tilburg Academy of Visual Arts. At the time, Magdalena Abakanowicz had just presented hundreds of cocoons – Embryology – at the Venice Biennale, and had already made a name for herself with her so-called Abakans, with which she ushered in a turning point in textile art during the 1960s.

Curator Sjouk Hoitsma. Photo: Patty van den Elshout

“She was a true trailblazer,” says Hoitsma. “Until then, textile art wasn’t taken seriously. Abakanowicz abandoned the traditional wall hanging in favour of handwoven 3D sculptures, through which she created bold spatial installations. She played a crucial role in the emancipation of textiles as an art form. And she did all of this behind the repressive Iron Curtain, living and working in Warsaw. That speaks not only to incredible conviction and perseverance, but also to immense courage.”

Intuitive craftsmanship

Curator Sjouk Hoitsma sees it as the TextielMuseum’s mission to highlight the groundbreaking work of Magdalena Abakanowicz, who passed away in 2017. “What she accomplished lies at the heart of what we do here at the TextielMuseum. Moreover, it resonates strongly with the present day.” The intuitive, handcrafted approach that brought Abakanowicz acclaim is once again being embraced in today’s textile practice. Hoitsma points to the Advanced Textile Program at the TextielLab, where artists weave on industrial machines but are increasingly pausing production to intervene by hand, incorporating different materials into the fabric. One example is Cadence, the enormous wall hanging created by Otobong Nkanga for MoMA: after it came off the loom, Nkanga continued to work it by hand to give it the desired finish.

Champions League

From 18 April, visitors to the TextielMuseum can see how this independent Polish artist set the tone for an entirely new perspective on textiles half a century ago. For the exhibition Everything is made of fiber, Hoitsma joined forces with Polish Abakanowicz expert Marta Kowalewska. The Noordbrabants Museum and the Province of North Brabant—home to the largest work Abakanowicz ever created—also partnered in the project. The result is a triptych titled Large, Larger, Largest, through which the TextielMuseum tells the story of textile’s evolution from craft to art.

The exhibition on this pioneer of textile art is also a first for the museum. “It’s the first time we’ve created an exhibition with loans from museums and private collections across Europe,” Hoitsma explains. “Right now, Abakans are being transported from Poland under police escort. But we’re also receiving pieces from London and Lausanne. For us, it’s like the Champions League.”

“I’m a fan of Abakanowicz – her monumental work is a testament to courage.”

- Sjouk Hoitsma, curatorTextielMuseum

Physicality

Beyond the logistical puzzle, there’s also a spatial one. “It will fit,” Hoitsma assures, “but it comes down to centimetres, given the height of some works.” The walls of the galleries are currently being painted a deep grey. Once dry, the massive crates can be delivered – only two per day, otherwise the logistics become unmanageable. It’s hard to imagine that some of the gigantic Abakans were woven by hand in a small ninth-floor flat in Warsaw, then lowered over the balcony.

The exhibition will showcase twelve of these imposing, bodily sculptures – the first works visitors will encounter. They are interspersed with pieces from Embryology, a series of semi-transparent cocoons first unveiled to the public at the 1980 Venice Biennale. Also coming to Tilburg next week: the world-renowned Backs – twelve contemplative backs without heads or arms, each with a unique surface of jute and resin. A grey mass evoking the collective suffering of humanity.

Backs. Photo: Artur Starewicz/East News 

A timeless source of inspiration

The exhibition also features a film created in collaboration with production company Blickfänger, shot in the Warsaw home and studio where Abakanowicz later lived. Her former assistants still care for part of her oeuvre there. On site, Hoitsma was struck by the expressive materiality of the work – even after having seen countless images. “With her organic abstraction, monumentality, and intuitive approach, Abakanowicz touched and inspired all artists of her time – and she still does when you see her work in person.”

Everything is made of fiber will be on view at the TextielMuseum from 18 April to 24 August 2025.

Text by Willemijn de Jonge