Christi York | Rootlet

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Christi York, “Rootlet,” 2024

(Poster Design: Catherine Hallam) (Photography by: Martin Gisborne) (courtesy of the Gallery)

Opening Reception: Friday, Sept 13

Join us for Gabriola's own Christi York and her newest collection of sculptural basketry.

In Rootlet, artist Christi York chose some of the less obvious materials that can be used in sculptural basketry—bark, roots and winter-bare twigs. York has long been struck by the vulnerability inherent in the act of stripping tree bark. Having high respect for plant-life raises the action into the realm of relatable intimacy, peeling back a protective layer, exposing what’s inside, and then stitching it all back up. Digging for roots can be a similar experience. Bringing what’s been long buried into the light, tenderly washing, drying, and storing for future use. For York, harvesting and preparing plant materials is a sense memory, a ritualistic throwback to earlier times. The relationship forged in these long hours of processing raw material is the first step in the creative journey for her. The material is the muse.

“As I’m working, I think about my maternal grandmother and her affinity for cross stitch kits. What would she think about working with bark, roots and leaves? Would she be horrified, or would she delight in the messy freedom?” - Christi York

Flirting with textile art, York takes inspiration partly from the “visible mending” movement and the history of domestic handicrafts. Torn tree bark is salvaged and stitched back together. Some pieces incorporate hand-felted local wool and flax, alongside unsystematic embroidery stitches in a reference and contrast to her grandmother’s tidy work. The material has memory—often drying under tension and straining at the stitches. Metaphors abound.