Baltic Miniature Textiles

The International Baltic Mini Textile Triennial originated in Gdynia Poland and is organised by the Museum of the City of Gdynia. Poland’s strong art textile position in the art world, as well as the textile industry around the town of Lodz, are the backbones of the numerous textile art events and exhibitions taking place in that part of the world. Since its inception in 1986 the Triennial has gained a prominent and prestigious position in the international calendar of Poland’s artistic events, as well as being part of the cultural life of the region of Gdansk.

The choice of the miniature form was made for sound practical reasons. Miniature textiles are easy to transport, so related exhibitions can cover an uncommonly diverse spectrum of artists and approaches on a limited budget. With their intrinsic attention to scale and the potential for obsession with what they are made from, they are perfect vehicles for highlighting new materials and exploring new possibilities for art. Works submitted for selection cannot be larger than 20 x 20 x 20 cm.

The works selected for this exhibition were judged by a panel of six Polish judges, however countries represented in this selection include Poland, Germany, Switzerland, Latvia, Argentina, Belgium, France, Romania, Italy, Hungary, Denmark, Norway, Japan, Lithuania, Finland, Peru, Holland, Spain and Australia.

The opportunity to show international works in Australia arose from a suggestion by Jolanta Szymczyk, a textile artist and member of TAFTA (The Australian Forum for Textile Arts) who currently lives in Brisbane. Jolanta has acted as liaison with the Museum of the City of Gdynia along with the TAFTA organising committee to bring these artworks to Australia.

The exhibition has come to Burra from Caboolture Qld, and will next be shown in Noosa Regional Gallery. Burra Regional Art Gallery gratefully acknowledges assistance from Burra Quilters in helping to pay for transport of this beautiful exhibition.