Artlink Contemporary Gallery is pleased to present The Art of Slowing Down: Women’s Labour & Craft, a solo exhibition by Mallory Donen of Vancouver, Canada.

Artist Statement
My practice investigates notions of labour, productivity, and the value of art in relation to craft and women’s work. Instead of becoming reliant on computers and other advanced technologies that are accelerating the speeds of production and consumption alike, I choose to look back to centuries-old practices that have been passed down through generations of women. Women used to execute the mundane, repetitive tasks that are now assigned to many machines and computers. I explore the parallel between repetitive processes and computer programming, by taking on the role of a machine. 

I embrace time-consuming traditional craft processes such as cross-stitching and knitting in order to emphasize the value of women’s labour. I produce work at a slower pace as a way of resisting capitalism and emphasizing the importance of time and consideration that can be put into the production of an object or idea. I also integrate elements of “reverse productivity” into my process, by completing a cross-stitched work, documenting the work, then proceeding to un-stitch the work that was previously executed. The simple act of undoing highlights the invisible nature of my labour (both with the task of stitching and unstitching) and questions what it means to be a productive artist. 

Gender bias within fine art diminishes the value of women’s labour. Feminine craft processes such as knitting, crochet, embroidery and other needlework are disregarded for their artistic value. And although I self-identify as a textile or fiber artist, others often label me as a craft artist. It can be difficult to be taken seriously in the field of fine art when there is an association with craft that has a lesser value than other traditionally masculine art mediums, such as painting and sculpture. I challenge expectations of traditional craft by experimenting with new media. I combine cross-stitching, knitting, video and audio, as a way to push the boundaries and expectations of craft as a fine art medium. 

Please join us for the opening reception on Thursday, May 4 from 5-8 pm!

About the Artist

Mallory Donen
Mallory Donen is a multidisciplinary artist residing in Vancouver on the unceded territories of the Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil Waututh First Nations. She explores the intersection of digital art and embroidery, through processes rooted in traditional craft passed down from generations of women in her family. Most recently her work has begun investigating notions of labour, productivity, and the value of art in relation to craft and women’s work. She has a Bachelor of Fine Arts from University of the Fraser Valley, and a Master of Fine Arts from University of Manitoba.

In 2019, she was an artist in residence at the Vermont Studio Center. In 2020, she received an Honourable mention in the virtual exhibition Threaded II, Envision Art Show. Donen is a 2021 recipient of a Canada Council for the Arts, Research and Creation Grant for her project Invisible Labour: Cross-Stitching, Feminism; the Collective Strength of Women. Recent exhibitions include: Art on Demand 4.4, the Reach Gallery & Museum, I Come From a Long Line of Machines, Ranger Station Art Gallery, Seeking the Periphery, Paul H. Cocker Gallery, Uncompressed, Rebecca Randall Bryan Art Gallery and Video Sound Archive.