Galactic Garden
New Artwork by Robin Kang
“Galactic Garden” by Robin Kang celebrates the fusion of organic wisdom from ancient civilizations and electronic futurism. Inspired by her travels to the Amazon rainforest, where she studied indigenous textile techniques and medicinal plant technologies, “Galactic Garden” merges the traditional craft of weaving with modern computational methods. This integration envisions a harmonious coexistence between technological advancements and ecology.
Kang uses a digitally operated Jacquard loom, which is a contemporary evolution of the first binary-operated machine and a precursor to early computers, to hand-weave her tapestries. Her vibrant artworks explore themes of information processing blending mystical energy and symbolism with elements of computer glitches and digital mark-making. She combines organic yarns from plant materials and natural dyes with glittering iridescent synthetics to create imagery that melds motherboard hardware with natural forms inspired by the Art Nouveau movement’s textile patterns. In “Galactic Garden,” the vibrancy of the natural world meets the complexity of the digital so as to present the unique juxtaposition and harmony that can simultaneously be achieved between these two seemingly opposing forces.
About Robin Kang
Robin Kang is a Brooklyn-based artist, educator, and student of ancient mystical lineages. Her art reinterprets the tradition of weaving within a contemporary technological context. Utilizing a digitally operated Jacquard hand loom, the contemporary version of the first binary operated machine and argued precursor to the invention of the computer, she hand weaves tapestries that combine mythic symbolism, computer related imagery, and digital mark making. The juxtaposition of textiles with electronics opens conversations of reconciling old traditions with new possibilities, as well as the relationship between textiles, symbols, language, memory and spirituality.
Robin has practiced the art of weaving for over 10 years, teaching courses in fiber arts, fabric dyeing, and digital weaving. Kang holds a MFA from SAIC and is a recipient of the 2017 NYFA Fellowship in Craft/Sculpture. Robin has studied ancient textile techniques with Mayan, Quechua, and Scandinavian weavers and has been initiated into the Amazonian Shipibo tradition, to learn the mystical textile techniques of the lineage. Robin highly values the sacred histories of textile arts, seeking to align her creative and spiritual practices.
