Maella Wallace

My practice has forever drawn inspiration from my community and family to culminate in a personal and biographical body of work. After arriving in Dundee, I was eager to explore a more tangible and process driven practice. For as long as I can remember my gran has taught me various crafts, sharing with me her time and patience to champion in me, a strong sensibility of textiles. Months before the pandemic she introduced me to a traditional rug making method, which has consequently aligned the direction of my work.

In researching my family tree, I considered how influential heritage is in my work and recognised that the same impact can also be found in our chosen communities and relationships. Having lost a close friend at the end of last year, more than ever I wanted to make something that honours all of the people that I have leaned on, those that they have leaned on and so on. 

Compositionally I have drawn influence from graffiti and sign writing, exploring the combination of domestic textiles met with bold signage. My work is driven by the feminine legacy of this traditional, handmade method as well as demonstrating graphics that cryptically signify togetherness. The colour palette is based around my parents and their favourite colours, turquoise and orange; from there building a bold and abstract collection of opposing tones. 41 is the anchor point of the piece, referencing the flat I grew up in, while taking on a meaning of its own in the context of the work.