Artist Lin Tian Miao grew up in China and still recalls sewing clothes for the family. Inspired by this memory from her childhood, she started making artwork using a sewing technique called “thread winding”. This technique involves the wrapping of thread, cotton, hair, silk and other string-like materials around an object until it is completely covered. This completely transforms the object- giving it new texture and form. Thread winding is her signature technique which she adopts in almost all her work- since her first major work The Proliferation of Thread Winding in 1995. In her more recent works, she applies the thread winding technique to household objects and human-like forms. This results in ethereal and otherworldly looking forms- like a fallen angel or deity.  

Lin Tian Miao’s artworks have always been about dual tensions- masculine vs. feminine, function vs. form, physical vs. psychological etc.  She demonstrates this duality through the contrasts of mediums used. Her work largely concerns femininity and the female body. In a collection called “Mothers!!!,” pearls and webs of string become tangled cancerous masses on the backs of women, weighing them down. The pearls, often associated with elegance and beauty, are also destructive and heavy here. In another installation called “Chatting,” several figures stand in a circle looking down, looking as if they are seeking connection but are unable to do so. Being a female growing up China, she has first-hand knowledge about the progress made within the Chinese society during Mao Zidong’s ruling, and also its shortcomings. Whether intended to or not, she alludes to the revolution and political landscapes in her works because of the cultural ideas of femininity taught to her. Her consistent exploration of these issues, although latent, makes her a significant figure in Chinese contemporary art. 

Learn more about the Artist Here

Images via thisiscolossal and azureazure