The use of textiles by artists and designers has long been associated with moments of profound social change and political rupture. From tapestry and embroidery to quilting and tailoring, in the hands of artists, textiles are defined by tension and transformation, resistance and activism. Textiles are a means of time travel and truth-telling.

Textiles galvanise communities. Through wars, pandemics and disasters, textiles have offered a way to mobilise social and cultural groups and build connections. In the late nineteenth century, British artist and designer William Morris sought to counter the mechanisation and mass-production of the Industrial Revolution by weaving tapestries on a manual loom with hand-dyed thread. Today, many artists are experimenting with the materials and techniques of textile design as a ‘slow making’ antidote to the high-speed digital age.

From William Morris to Sonia Delaunay, Radical Textiles celebrates the cutting-edge innovations, enduring traditions and bodies of shared knowledge that have been folded into fabric and cloth over the past 150 years. Showcasing the work of more than 100 artists, designers and activists, this major exhibition draws on AGSA’s international, Australian and First Nations collections of textiles and fashion, augmented by sculpture, painting, photography and the moving image, alongside several new commissions.

Please note some works of art contain adult themes

Tickets

Adult $30
Concession $25
Members $20
Under 18 $15
Child (0-4 years) Free
Family (2 Adults + up to 3 Children under 18) $75
AGSA Member Season Pass $55
Group of 8+ $20 per person

Please see our Visitor Ticket Price Entitlements for further information regarding ticket price eligibility.

Join or renew today as an AGSA member for 2 years or more and see Radical Textiles for free. T&C apply.

Last entry to the exhibition is 30 minutes prior to AGSA closing.

For schools

School Bookings are essential at a cost of $50 per K-12 class, $30 equity​​. This rate does not apply to tertiary groups, who can access Group or Concession pricing. Guided and self-guided visits are available. Guided visits are subject to Volunteer Guide availability.

Bespoke Tours

Bespoke Gallery Tours of the exhibition, led by one of our Volunteer Gallery Guides, are available to groups of up to 15 people for a cost of $100 excluding ticket costs. Bookings are essential and are subject to Volunteer Guide availability.

Art Simone, Australian AIDS Memorial Quilt Project, South Australia, Mary Argyropoulos, Julia Baldini, Vanessa Bell, Heather Black, Jane Bowden, Bush Couture, Cheryl Bridgart, Catherine Buddle, Edward Burne-Jones, Alexander Calder, Sonja Carmichael, Elisa Jane Carmichael, Nicole Clift, Clothing The Gap, Annabelle Collett, Comme des Garçons, Sarah Contos, Hannah Cooper, Le Corbusier, Amber Cronin, Deaf Community of South Australia, John Henry Dearle, Sonia Delaunay, Annabell Amagula Dingmalmurrangka, DISCOUNT UNIVERSE, Lucia Dohrmann, Michelle Driver, Anne Ferran, Zaachariaha Fielding x Romance Was Born, Frida Las Vegas, Elaine Gardner, Teelah George, Yann Gerstberger, Tarryn Gill, Matea Gluščević, Iordanes Spyridon Gogos, Jordan Gogos, Carolynne Gordon, Blake Griffiths, Fiona Hall, J.R. Harvey, Maggie Hensel-Brown, Sheila Hicks, Phoebe Hyles, Trudy Inkamala, Sheree Inkamala, Aki Inomata, Linda Jackson AO, Kait James, Cést Jeanne, Narelle Jubelin, Kate Just, Karen From Finance, Rebecca King, Emily Kam Kngwarray, Gabriella Labucci & Sheridon Skye Creed, Pru La Motte, Kay Lawrence, Grace Lillian Lee, Isaac Lummis, Dani Marti, Paul McCann, Issey Miyake, Morris & Co., Moschino, Pierre Mukeba, Nell, Nicol & Ford, David Noonan, Eko Nugroho, Deborah Paauwe, Rosella Paletti, Pashion Couture, Paolo Sebastian, Winnie Pelz AM, Annie Percival, Grayson Perry, Roxanne Petrick, Frances (Budden) Phoenix, Deborah Prior, Dulcie Raggett, Anna Madeleine Raupach, Julia Robinson, Romance Was Born, Marlene Rubuntja, Doreen Rushbrook, Rosabella Ryder, Sangeeta Sandrasegar, Tristan Seebohm, Dulcie Sharpe, Rhonda Sharpe, Roxanne Sharpe, Chiharu Shiota, Yinka Shonibare MBE, Tobias Sangkhul, Sally Smart, Kiki Smith, Carly Snoswell, Valerie Stafford, Stitch and Resist Project, Daphne Stitt, Lara Tilbrook, Kasia Töns, Peter Tully, Francis Upritchard, Iris van Herpen, Sera Waters, Vivienne Westwood DBE, RDI, Liz Williamson, Yarrenyty Arltere Artists, Paul Yore.

Adelaide Women’s Liberation Archive, Australian Manufacturing Workers’ Union, South Australian branch, Australian Workers’ Union, South Australia, Australasian Society of Engineers, Builders’ Laborers’ Union SA, Communications, Electrical and Plumbing Union, South Australian branch, Construction, Forestry and Maritime Employees Union, South Australian branch, Federated Society of Boilermakers and Iron Ship Builders of Australia Trade Union, Adelaide branch, South Australian Society of Coachmakers, Women's Social and Political Union, London, Working Women’s Centre SA

Principal Donor
  • Neilson Foundation
Design Partner
  • Grieve Gillett Architects
Exhibition Partner
  • Mutual Trust
In association with
  • Adelaide Festival
Media Partner
  • The Guardian
Radical Events