Tammy Kanat: A Major New Solo Exhibition Explores Memory and Female Archetypes

Naarm/Melbourne, Australia: Celebrated Australian fibre artist Tammy Kanat unveils her most ambitious body of work to date in a major solo exhibition, Tammy Kanat: Circle of Her, showing 18 September 2025 to 22 March 2026, the latest Eva and Marc Besen Contemporary Artist Commission, presented at the Jewish Museum of Australia.

 

Renowned for her vibrant woven wall pieces and contemporary reimagining of textile traditions, Kanat now turns to immersive sculptural forms in an evocative new direction guided by intuition, ancestral memory and the whispers of female archetypes. These works mark a striking evolution in her practice, transforming her distinctive visual language into a multidimensional experience of presence, creativity and transformation.

 

“As I began working, I found myself listening differently, not to the materials, but to something internal, and somehow older than me,” reflects artist Tammy Kanat. “These pieces are vessels for presence, intuition and transformation.”

 

Presented in the intimate surrounds of the Jewish Museum of Australia: Gandel Centre of Judaica, Tammy Kanat: Circle of Her invites audiences into a richly layered meditation on feminine renewal, cultural belonging and the power of material storytelling. The exhibition draws on archetypal feminine figures – matriarchs, muses, ancestral spirits – and honours their influence through seven bold sculptural forms that speak to memory, imagination and intergenerational connection.

 

Along with archetypes, the sculptures also pay tribute to the very real women in the artist’s own life – her mother, daughters, sister, friends, colleagues, and the artists who inspire her – all part of a circle that holds, nurtures, and connects. At its heart, the Circle of Her is about honouring the threads that shape us, the women we come from, those beside us, and the ones we carry within.

 

Curated by Esther Gyorki, the exhibition is accompanied by a significant new publication authored by Dr Paola Di Trocchio, former curator at the National Gallery of Victoria, with contributions from leading voices across design, curatorial and cultural discourse including Jo Horgan, Sally Dan-Cuthbert, Rachelle Unreich, Professor Natalie King and Esther Gyorki. The book situates Kanat’s work within both contemporary Australian and global design contexts, underscoring her place as a key figure in today’s material culture.

 

“Tammy’s new work is materially rich, spiritually resonant and deeply personal,” says curator Esther Gyorki. “It honours the threads we inherit and those we pass on, evoking the spiral as a symbol of continuity, introspection and transformation.”

 

Kanat’s profile has grown significantly in recent years, with high-profile collaborations including the inaugural MECCA x NGV Women in Design Commission 2019 and a nationwide MECCA holiday campaign. Tammy Kanat: Circle of Her promises to extend that influence even further, offering a deeply moving experience that invites audiences to connect with their own inner voices and shared cultural lineages.

 

The exhibition will also feature a new soundscape composed by Kanat’s brother Grant Blashki in collaboration with Gidi Ifergan, and a dynamic public program of artist talks, guided meditation, school holiday weaving and music up late.

 

Tammy Kanat: Circle of Her
18 September 2025 to 22 March 2026
Jewish Museum of Australia, 26 Alma Rd, St Kilda VIC 3182

 

Book Details

Title: Circle of Her: Tammy Kanat