THE SUBVERSIVE STITCHER EXHIBITION LAUNCH

Join us for the launch of Holly Searle's exhibition, opening directly after her afternoon workshop. Holly – known as The Subversive Stitcher – uses textile art to shine a light on the social issues of our time. This is a chance to see her remarkable work up close and celebrate its arrival in Alton.

About Holly Searle

Holly Searle is an award-winning textile artist whose practice centres on needle and thread as tools for social commentary. Her work was reignited by a chance encounter with a Victorian needlework sampler made by Mary Frances Heaton – an asylum inmate who stitched petitions to Queen Victoria – and Holly has carried that spirit of quiet, defiant voice-making into her own art ever since.

During the 2020 lockdown, Holly began her celebrated Subverted Vintage Tea Towel Series, transforming pre-loved domestic objects into bold platforms for the issues she believes deserve a platform. The series now runs to over 190 pieces and has been exhibited at the Saatchi Gallery, Riverside Studios, the Fashion and Textile Museum, and beyond.