Forêt de Lin Wall Hanging

This large-scale wall hanging is made of a mass of hand-woven and undyed linen tassels. Its title translates as “forest of linen.” Sheila Hicks here uses a weaving process that incorporates water, thus creating a smooth and lustrous surface as compared to dry-spun linen. Hicks’s weaving practice was informed by her study of the work of Indigenous weavers during her time in Chile, in 1957, and Mexico, where she lived from 1959 until 1964. The artist describes this work as a “bas relief”—a sculpture with slightly raised images—because its cascading forms protrude from the surface of the flat wall.