Vanessa Rolf
Seeking, digging, sifting, mapping, discarding, collating and labelling are visual artist Vanessa Rolf’s attempts to make logic of her chaotic interior world. She traces, cuts and stitches paper and cloth to embed codified shapes and marks to unearth stories. She reworks cotton clothing, canvas, linen and wool felt which speak a familiar tactile language known to us all. Vanessa’s work often takes the form of large layered stitched textile wall based works that reference quilts or clothing, but other smaller works may use the visual vocabulary of archives; boxes, frames or drawers to create intriguing small installations.
Seemingly small, mundane or insignificant moments, objects or places are memorialised: protective pockets hold iron age flints, absent inherited objects are cut from felt, the repetition of mothering becomes a quilted diary of stitched marks, the names of ships sunk in battle are listed on requisitioned German wartime linen, global textile production is translated into patchwork cartograms from charity shop waste fabric. Vanessa’s work asks what we keep, why we keep it and how we use objects to tell stories; and by extension what stories are missing in the curated boxes, the maps and the record cards.
Artist Biography
Vanessa Rolf is a visual artist with a practice that primarily uses cloth and stitch to unearth the empirical layers of meaning that can be obscured by our current dominant ordering systems.
Her work has been shared in exhibitions, is part of national collections and has been created in response to commissions. Vanessa studied at the Royal College of Art 2002-2004, where she became an honorary fellow in 2017.
Alongside her art practice, for 20 years Vanessa has been working in historic buildings, schools, pupil referral units, hospices, refugee centres and art galleries to make as a collective act of enquiry, agency and community building. Her skills bring people together and gently direct the focus, forging new pathways.
Vanessa founded and directed ReachOutRCA, the Royal College of Art’s engagement programme. She initiated National Saturday Art Club at Winchester School of Art and was part of the Engagement team at John Hansard Gallery, Southampton. Vanessa has consulted on engagement practices for Turner Sims Music Concert Hall, Making Space, Royal College of Art Research and The Crafts Council. She works with BA and MA level students at Winchester School of Art, Chichester University, Southampton Solent, Chelsea College of Art and Design (UAL), and University of the Creative Arts, Farnham.
Honorary Fellow, Royal College of Art 2017
62 Group of Textile Artists member since 2016
Initiated ‘Studio without walls’ artist network, supported by ‘a space’ since 2022
Education
2011 Post Graduate Certificate in Learning and Teaching CLTAD, U.A.L.
2004 MA Mixed Media Textiles Royal College of Art
1999 First Class BA (Hons) Fashion and Textiles, Embroidery B.I.A.D, U.C.E.
1996 Foundation in Art and Design Winchester School of Art
Selected Exhibitions
2023
Tailored, Sunny Bank Mills, West Yorkshire.
2022
Undisclosed, The Hostry, Norwich.
2022
Essence, Knitting and Stitching Show, Alexandra Palace.
2022
Conversations - people, place, object, St Barbes Museum and Art Gallery, Lymington.
2021
Connected Cloth, The Whitaker Museum & Art Gallery, British Textile Biennial
2020
Sleep Diaries 2, TOAST Marylebone, London
Healing, Knowing, Seeing the Body - Collaborative stitch drawings with
Andrew Carnie, The Spencer Museum, Kansas. U.S.A.
2019
Construct, Sunny Bank Mills, West Yorkshire
CTRL/Shift, National Centre for Craft and Design, Sleaford
2018
CTRL/Shift, MAC, Birmingham
2017
Transcriptors, James Hockney Gallery, University of the Creative Arts, Farnham.
Stitching stories: Making Common Ground, City Space, Winchester
Open 2017, Quay Arts, Newport, Isle of Wight
Making Space, 62 Group, Knitting and Stitching Show, Olympia and Edinburgh
2014
Unlocking the diary The Burlington Hotel, Folkestone Fringe
2013
Open Studios Chocolate Factory, London
2012
Poems to the sea Prick your finger, London
Get Carta Karin Jansenn Project Space, London
The museum for objects of virtu Abbey Arts Centre, London
2007
Siberian Landscapes firstsite gallery, Colchester
Maps & Legends Makers' Showcase, firstsite gallery, Colchester
Hidden Royal College of Art, London
Commissions and Collections
2014 WW1 Commemoration, Chatham Historic Dockyard, Kent
2013 Fitzroy Square, Commissioned by Johnson Naylor Architects
2010 To Skovorodino, Johnson Naylor Architects. Tapestry 1771, London.
2009 GPS and Soundtracks, Crafts Council Handling Collection.
2008 Siberia Series, Johnson Naylor Architects. Ontario Tower & Tudorval, London
Artist Residencies
2010 Jaywick Martello Tower, Jaywick, nr. Clacton On Sea, Essex
2009 Postcards from Canvey Island, Cornelius Vermuyden School, Essex
2008 Art in the Garden, Hiller Gardens, Hampshire
2007 The In Between Time, firstsite gallery, Colchester
Employment
2022/23 Engagement Project Manger, Turner Sims Concert Hall, Southampton
2022- 23 Visiting Lecturer, BA Fine Art, Chichester University
2021- 22 Visiting Lecturer, BA Textiles, Winchester School of Art
2020 - 23 Visiting Lecturer, BA Fine Art, Solent University, Southampton
2018-22 Visiting Lecturer, BA Illustration, University of the Creative Arts
2018/21 Engagement Curator, John Hansard Gallery, Southampton
2017/23 Lecturer, MA Textiles, Winchester School of Art
2017/19 National Saturday Club Co-ordinator, Winchester School of Art
2013/15 Visiting Lecturer, BA Textile Design, Chelsea College of Art and Design
2005/15 ReachOutRCA Director, Royal College of Art
2006/7 Stitch Technician, Mixed Media Textiles Dept. Royal College of Art
Selected Artist-led Projects and Workshops
2023
Gosport: Past | Present | Future, St Vincent 6th Form Collage and Hampshire Cultural Education Partnership
2023
Climate Unity Quilt, St Bede Primary School and Arts Society Basingstoke
2023
Keep moving, Winklebury Primary School, Milestones Museum and Arts Society Basingstoke
2022/23
Liza Sylvestre: Asweetsea Gallery Resource and workshops, John Hansard Gallery with deaf and hearing impaired pupils and staff, Newlands Primary School
2022
Climate Unity Quilts, 4 Basingstoke Primary Schools and Arts Society Basingstoke
2022
Pieced Together, Aspex Gallery and Portsmouth City of Sanctuary with those seeking refuge and asylum.
2022
Mapping in Stitch, online workshops and tutoring, TextileArtist.org
2021
Stitching stories, British Textile Biennial online workshop, Whitaker Museum
2018
Building shapes, Family workshops, Watts Gallery
Shapes and Patterns, The Bridge Education Centre, Hampshire Cultural Trust
2017
Learning through craft, Continued Professional Development for teachers and makers, Making Space, Hampshire
Making Common Ground, City Space, Winchester
Map making, City Space, Winchester
2012
Preparing to teach, Royal College of Art
2011
Handling Collection, workshops and consultation, Crafts Council
Ignite! Research RCA, Royal College of Art