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Opposite: The Descent of Beauty, 2018 Below: All in a Row, <strong>2019</strong> All images courtesy Michelle Kingdom We live in a time where everything is made by machines or exists in thin air, and for some there is a longing for handmade, tactile and personal work earlier point – about the tangible, ‘touch me’ appeal of her work – serves as an antidote to the constant interact with cold, tempered glass screens. “The last few years have seen a more positive reception to fibre,” she confirms. “We live in a time where everything is made by machines or exists in thin air, and for some there is a longing for handmade, tactile and personal work. What has traditionally been perceived as ‘women’s work’ and a dying art holds a kind of nostalgia and exoticism. It is ironic because part of fibre’s success is due to our contemporary fascination with social media and online forums.” Indeed, Kingdom’s stunning pieces have drawn a sizeable online following: Instagram posts of her finished works, 100s of hours in the making, draw (emoji-laden) gasps of appreciation for this authentic, time consuming craft. “The myopic lens of the internet draws viewers in and equalises what may have previously been overlooked,” she relishes. “It highlights the intricacy and depth of mediums that the established art world has long ignored.” Still, there’s also a timeless appeal of viewing art in person: the irresistible opportunity to study up-close every brush stroke, contour, or in the case of Kingdom’s work, every considered stitch. This month her latest show, Peripheries, graces the bG Gallery in Santa Monica. Yet given the miniature nature of her pieces, she admits that manipulating the scale of a white walled gallery space is “a challenge.” The artist shares, “Part of what initially drew me to embroidery was the minute intimacy, that requires leaning in to hear it whisper. I find my work hangs most successfully when it embraces the contradiction between my work and the space, between the cloisters of the interior world and the expanse of the stark gallery walls. It requires the viewer to slow down and take pause, or not participate at all.” It allows for deep dialogue to accompany the deft design, too, building a construct around each little scene. “I made a conscious effort to accurately explore my evolving state of mind for this show. The overriding feeling was a kind of weary descent,” she divulges about the theme. “That youthful feeling of staying up all night, believing everything was important and imminent and bound for a prompt flurry of resolutions... but then things just slowly trail away in the dark hours before dawn. That feeling when the party is finally over – when the last guests leave – when you are alone with all the stains and residues of the night before.” Thus the theme Peripheries took shape: “The outermost edges. The boundaries. The circumference. It is a space occupied on the outskirts, deemed relatively minor. Irrelevant. It is the area in which nerves end. It is all that is visible outside of your focus. The oblique narrows of the mind’s eye.” It is from the creative fringe where this artist emerged, and the beauty of her work is coming into focus – justly attracting both collectors and social media clicks. Using both thought-provoking narrative threads and actual thread itself, Michelle has unquestionably made embroidery her very own corner of the art kingdom. The solo exhibition ‘Peripheries’ is now showing at bG Gallery in Santa Monica. For details, visit michellekingdom.com 27