Mieke van den Berg will develop and create her work- One Thread Many Loops: The encoded materiality of home Round and round in circles making invisible labour visible.

As an award-winning visual and installation artist, Mieke is inspired to create installations and performances that offer meaningful connections to others and places. Her work is site-responsive and considers, architecture, light, sound and empty space.
Her practice is process-driven, using repetitive actions using simple and recycled materials to create sensory experiences that invite audiences to be present, mindful and more connected.

Mieke recently completed her Honours research exploring anarchic feminist theories through textile craft based on traditionally feminine domestic craft. She received a Class 1 Honours for her research. But was unable to showcase her outcomes at the University. She decided it was too important not to show the work. She applied to several galleries and is fortunate Artisan Gallery in Bowen Hills is including her work titled One Thread Many Loops: The encoded Materiality of home in the Artisan Gallery 2024 program. The exhibition is from May to July 2024.

Mieke seeks to further explore and extend the honours outcomes through research and further production to create a complete body of work ready for the exhibition. This is her first exhibition outside of the Sunshine Coast region and will contribute to her reach, create more opportunities, be part of her professional development, create awareness of our incredible Sunshine Coast Region artists and encourage other artists to expand their reach. It is also her first opportunity to collaborate with the curator of a gallery to fully execute her vision for the work to be experienced.

The work reflects the invisible labour in the home through accumulative, time-consuming and repetitive processes. She uses domestic materials and textiles to carry metaphors and build layers of meaning, acknowledging mundane household duties. As a result, she subverts the hierarchy of the arts and the sexual categories of male and female. She approaches textile craft making from new perspectives, uncovering unrivalled relationships between the invisible labour in the home and drawing parallels in the masculine art world.

Image: Mieke and her prize winning entry from Sculpture on the Edge
Photographer: Barry Alsop, Eyes Wide Open Images