Tamworth Regional Gallery officially opened the 6th Tamworth Textile Triennial, Nature Machine, on Friday. It is the biggest event on the gallery’s calendar, and it drew the local arts community out for its opening weekend. The exhibition will run until November 22.
The Triennial is one of the most significant platforms for contemporary textile practice in Australia. This year’s program includes artist talks, curator-led tours, workshops, panel discussions and family-friendly activities, all designed to connect audiences directly with some of the nation’s most innovative textile artists. The celebrations began last Friday, when the gallery opened its doors for the official opening. Visitors met and heard from the 18 exhibiting artists, curator Blake Griffiths, Triennial founders and members of Tamworth’s arts community over light refreshments and entertainment.
Nature Machine brings together leading and emerging artists from across Australia. It looks at how makers are responding to environmental, technological and cultural change. Some artists grow, harvest, recycle and reimagine textile resources. Others use artificial intelligence and machine production to explore the changing role of textiles in a fast-moving technological age.
Exhibition curator Blake Griffiths said the opening weekend was designed to create meaningful connections between artists, audiences and contemporary textile practice, as well as honouring the history of textiles in Tamworth.
“One of the most remarkable things about the Tamworth Textile Triennial is its legacy,” he said.
“For over five decades, it has documented and championed the evolution of textile practice in Australia, while continuing to create space for new voices and ideas.”
“This year’s exhibition demonstrates the incredible creativity of artists working across the field today, and the opening weekend invites audiences to be part of that conversation through talks, workshops and direct engagement with the artists themselves.”
University of New England Vice-Chancellor and CEO Professor Chris Moran said UNE was proud to support Nature Machine and its national tour.
“The University has a long-standing belief that regional cultural institutions are essential to the intellectual and creative life of the nation, a belief manifest in our partnership with the Tamworth Regional Gallery,” Professor Moran said.
“In the woven, printed, stitched and coded works that this exhibition puts on display, there is a lot to consider, about nature, about machines, and about the communities we are all working to sustain.”
The Australian Government backed the Triennial through the Visions of Australia program, awarding Tamworth Regional Gallery $121,128 in July to support a national tour of the exhibition. Starting in early 2027, the tour will travel to the Glasshouse Port Macquarie, Craft + Design Canberra, Blue Mountains Cultural Centre, Griffith Regional Art Gallery, Fabrik Lobethal in the Adelaide Hills, Swan Hill Regional Gallery, Rosny Farm in Tasmania, Burnie Regional Art Gallery, Wangaratta Art Gallery and the Museum of Art and Culture Lake Macquarie.
Nature Machine runs at Tamworth Regional Gallery until November 22. For program details, visit the gallery’s website, www.tamworthregionalgallery.com.au, or call 02 6767 5247.
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