Tom Isaacs

Depression Quilt was made as part of the development process for the Emergency Blankets project exhibited at Cementa22. This work was made with black felt, mylar, and material recycled from Tom’s late grandfather's wool suits. Emergency Blankets was a creative exploration of our response to crises, whether natural disasters, economic hardship, or mental health problems. The title references the Australian tradition of quilts produced with recycled materials during the Depression era of the 1930s. It also acknowledges depression as a common response to crisis and a potential crisis in and of itself.

Tom Isaacs is a Sydney-based contemporary artist working in textiles and performance. His practice draws from psychoanalytic theory, philosophy, religion, and art history to explore themes of mental illness, mortality, and human condition. He recently completed a PhD at Sydney College of the Arts, University of Sydney, researching relationship between ritual, psychoanalysis and body art, considering the problem of alienation. His textile practice is influenced by traditional quilt-making, abstract painting and the work of German artist Joseph Beuys.

Depression Quilt, 2022
felt, mylar, recycled clothing, thread
$2,500

Image top: Tom Isaacs, Depression Quilt, 2022, Photo: Courtesy of the artist