About 

Shelly Goldsmith works across a range of textile practices to investigate the power of cloth as a rich landscape for expression, a place to explore and communicate ideas, unfold narratives. Utilising technological and historical techniques simultaneously, through rigorously crafted tapestry weaving, hand stitch and experimental textile printing she unpicks established psychological theory to better understand human interactions, how we live our lives and what shapes us.  Taking an autoethnographic approach her position is both personal and universal, textiles become witness and memoranda, whilst also offering opportunities for introspection and learning.  Creative practice is underpinned by collaborations with Psychiatry and Forensic Science professionals and supported by awards from Arts Council England and Wellcome Trust, for example.

Goldsmith has exhibited at major galleries and museums in Britain, Europe, USA and Japan, her work is in many notable public collections including the Victoria & Albert Museum and The Whitworth. Her work is written about and cited extensively in books and journals.  

She is the recipient of several awards including the prestigious Jerwood Prize for Textiles and the Vlieseline Fine Art Textile Award, an international prize which recognises concept-driven and gallery context textiles, in 2024 she was shortlisted for the Kate Derum Award, Melbourne Australia.

Shelly Goldsmith is Emerita Reader in Textiles at the University for the Creative Arts. 

Film 1. Tapestry weaving, image of table and chair is constructed on it’s side - Title of piece ‘A Cloud Forming’,. Excerpt of film funded by Theo Moorman Trust for Weavers click link to watch full film.’

Film 2. Preparation for printing one of the Dresses For Giants, pieces. Painting dispersal dye over a digitally printed dispersal dye photograph of Walpole Bay tidal pool, Margate.

Film 3. Excerpt of film funded by Theo Moorman Trust for Weavers click link to watch full film.

ARTIST’S STATEMENT

A profound brush with death as a teenager left me fascinated with what gives life meaning, the messiness of human experience and psyche, and how to untangle the knots.

I excavate my working-class background to investigate how are we formed, physically and psychologically ? How do we get to be the people we are and how do we create a safe space in which to exist in ?   Embodied narratives unfold, both personal and universal, where textiles become witness and memoranda, whilst also offering opportunities for introspection and learning.  

Current work utilises family clothing, which is un-woven and reused, DNA is twisted together and reinterpreted. I explore and acknowledge the powerful and often complex relationship with our biological mother; pertinent to us all, but different for everyone . Whether known or unknown, for good or bad, the  relationship  with our fundamental life giver impacts upon us across time and space and influences the person we are. Sewing and unpicking, weaving and un-weaving is process as well as metaphor, as I layer new cloth and new understanding onto old.

  • Soft Power: lives told through textile art, Royal West of England Academy, Bristol, 17 May - 10 August 2025

    Kate Derum Award, ATW, Melbourne, Australia 2024     

    House Guests, David Parr House, Cambridge. 2023

    Fiberart International, Museum of Art, Fort Collins, Colorado. USA. 2023

    TEXTUS: In-Between Text and Textile, Torriano Meeting House, London. 2023

    Connective Material, Museum Dr Guislain, Ghent Belgium. 2022 - 2023

    Fiberart International, Brew House & Contemporary Craft, Pittsburgh, USA. 2022

    Dresses for Giants, Solo, ACS Margate . 2022

    Still Parents, The Whitworth, Manchester . 2022 

    Thread, Elysium Gallery, Swansea, Wales.   2021 

    Maker’s Eye, Crafts Council, London.   2020 

    Loss & Lucidity, SantoraSpace205, Santa Ana, USA  + Appleton Gallery, + Fabrica Braco de Prata  Portugal. 2019 

    Dresses for Giants, solo exhibition,  Addington St Gallery, Ramsgate. Part of Margate’s Turner Prize program. 2019    

    Łódź Blouse Trilogy,  solo, University for the Creative Arts, Canterbury. 2017

    Art_Textiles, The Whitworth, Manchester.   2016  

    Crafting Anatomies, Bonington Gallery, Nottingham Trent University. 2015  

    The Dreaming House: Art Textiles at Newstead, Newstead Abbey, Nottingham.  2015

    Metamorphosis,  TO3 Textile Incubation Centre, Ronse. 2014

    Lace Effects 1 ,  Cité internationale de la dentelle et de la mode de Calais. 2013  

    Bitesize, Diawa Anglo Foundation, London + GalleryGallery, Kyoto  + Nagoya University of the Arts/Science, Nagoya, Japan. 2012   

    Revealing Evidence, solo, Pitzhanger Manor Gallery, London.   2010  

    Turner Open, Turner Contemporary, Margate. 2010  

    Indelible: Every Contact Leaves a Trace, Fabrica, Brighton.   2008  

    Cloth and Culture Now, Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts, Norwich + The Whitworth Art Gallery, Manchester.  2008                 

    becoming, solo, Victoria & Albert Museum, London .2006  

    Depth of Field: conversations between photography and textiles, MAC, Birmingham. 2006  

    koko-ima/here-now, Gallery Kaze,  Tokyo.    2005  

    Millennium J,  Gallery Aoyama, Tokyo.     2004       

    Kanazawa World Craft Forum, Daiwa Korinbo + Utatsuyama Workshop + Kanazawa New Grand Hotel, Kanazawa, Japan 2003 

    Jerwood Prize, Crafts Council, London + Salford Museum and Art Gallery + City Art Centre Edinburgh, Scotland + Ulster Museum, Northern Island. 2002                 

    Succulent Fruits, Spica Museum Tokyo, Japan. 2001  

    Ripened, solo, Angel Row Gallery, Nottingham. 2001  

    Dew Point, solo exhibition, Centre de Documentacio i Museu Textil, Terrassa, Spain  +  PWC Gallery, London  +  Gallery Aoyama, Tokyo. 2000  

    ripe, Crafts Council, London. 2000

    Fold: The Newspaper of the unconscious, The Freud Museum, London .   2000  

    Heart,  (2 person show with Chikako Mori) Gallery Aoyama, Tokyo, Japan. 2000

    flow,  solo, Barbican Arts Centre, London. 1999  

    L Space, solo exhibition, Canberra School of Art, ACT, Australia. 1998

  • Forthcoming: Colorscaping Rotter’s liminal dress:playing with the transmutable states of disperse dye in dye-sublimation applications on reclaimed polyester Authored publication, Bloomsbury Encyclopaedia of World Textiles. Bloomsbury 2027

    Shadows in Light Toby Crispy, Obscura Magazine February 2025

    Soulful Stitch: Finding Creativity in Crisis Cas Homes and Deena Beverly. Pub Batsford 2024                                                       

    Archivist Addendum Dal Chodha and Jane Howard 2022 . A compilation of research results of the international and interdisciplinary project "Fashion Interpretations: Dress, Medium & Meaning," led by Rebecca Arnold of the Courtauld Institute of Art, University of London, and Judith Clark of the London College of Fashion, University of the Arts London. ISBN: 2635-1668

    A Dialogue about Social Weaving: The Weaving Kiosk and Weaving Lab Jessica Hemmings. Textile: The Journal of Cloth and Culture. Berg 2021 

    Textile Travels Anne Kelly. Batsford Books 2020 

    Wintering: How I learned to flourish when life became frozen Katherine May. Penguin Random House 2020

    First Person: Lodz Blouse Trilogy, Shelly Goldsmith   Embroidery Magazine 2020  

    Locus of the Dress: a publication to be worn Shelly Goldsmith and Herminia Hernaiz-Sanders.  Pub University for the creative arts 2018 

    Looking beyond the Warp and Weft: unpicking latent narratives in worn clothing Shelly Goldsmith. Textile: The Journal of Cloth and Culture. Berg 2017      

    Artists in Art_Textiles Maria Balshaw, Jennifer Harris, Pennina Barnett.  Pub University of Manchester 2016 

    Drawn to Ohio Jo Hall.  Embroidery Magazine 2015 

    Crafting Anatomies Performative Anatomies, NTU Creative Textiles Research Group. Pub Nottingham Trent University 2015 

    The Re(a)d Thread in Outside: Activating Cloth to Enhance the Way We Live Prof. Lesley Millar. Edited by Penny Macbeth, Claire Barber. Cambridge Scholars 2015  

    Digital X Historical in Digital Encounters Jenna Rossi-Camus, Prof. Margaret Buck MBE Pub UCA 2014 

    Ruminations with Shelly Goldsmith in Mining Couture - A Manifesto for Common Wear Barber Swindles. Black Dog  2012 

    The Textile ReaderConsidering the Evidence - Part II MEMORY Jane Wildgoose Edited by  Jessica Hemmings. Berg 2012 

    Pairings, Conversations & collaborations Alice Kettle.  Pub Stroud Int. Textiles  2012 

    Textile, Art and Culture Textiles Today: a global survey of  trends and traditions Chloe Colchester. Thames and Hudson 2007 

    Tilleke Schwarz: Mark Making book review Shelly Goldsmith Crafts Magazine 2007 

    Depth of Field: Conversations Between Photography and Textiles Review Rhiannon Williams.  Selvedge Magazine 2007  

    Pear-shaped stories Liz Hoggard. Crafts Magazine 2006 

  • Soft Power: lives told through textile art Colloquium, Royal West of England Academy, Bristol, 17 May 2025

    Jugaar & The City, Design Summit Lahore Beaconhouse National University, Lahore, Pakistan (Zoom Conference) 2024

    Fiberart International Pittsburgh USA 2022

    Thread Swansea UK 2021

    CONTEXTILE 2020, Textile Talks Guimarães Portugal 2020

    Craft in 2020: looking back and looking forward COLLECT London UK 2020

    Fabric of Faith: Exploring textiles as practice-based research University College London UK 2018

    The Matter of Material Turner Contemporary UK 2017

    My Cloth Yinka Shonibare’s British Library installation Turner Contemporary Margate UK 2016

    Material Language Richard Tuttle’s ‘I don’t know or the weave of textile language’ Tate Modern + The Whitechapel Gallery London UK 2014

    Threads of Feeling Foundling Museum London UK 2013

    Fabriconversations Nottingham Trent University UK 2010

    Textile Vocabularies - Innovation in Practice Herriot Watt University UK 2009

    Enfolded Meanings National Gallery London UK 2008

    Jerwood Prize Award Crafts Council London UK 2003

  • Jerwood Arts Prize: Textiles 

    Vlieseline Fine Art Textile Prize 

    London International Creative Competition Prize 

    Axis Contemporary Art Bursary

    Royal Overseas League Drawing Prize 

    Arts Council England Project Award 

    Theo Moorman Trust for Weavers Award 

    Wellcome Trust Sci-Art Award 

    Winchester School of Art Research Award 

    University of Southampton Research Award 

    University for the Creative Arts Research Grant 

  • V&A Museum

    Worshipful Company of Haberdashers

    Contemporary Art Society Collection

    Nottingham Castle Museum

    Crafts Council

    The Whitworth