Why don’t men do embroidery? Art teacher’s Hong Kong classes aim to smash biases and show the craft is ‘absolutely an art form’
- South African-born Adele Frankle has been teaching art in Hong Kong for over 10 years, and in September she will hold workshops on painting with embroidery
- She hopes to change the views of those, especially men, who view embroidery as inferior to art, and ‘would love’ to bring men’s ‘different ideas’ to the table
Art teacher Adele Frankle is on the warpath to break the stereotype of needlework being just for old ladies. She is doing so through workshops that teach how to paint and embroider at the same time.
The concept of combining art with embroidery came to South African-born Frankle about three years ago.
“I started teaching adult classes. In the beginning I wanted to do something different and I realised that lots of people are interested in embroidery and lots of people are interested in painting, and then it just evolved from painting to painting with embroidery.”
Frankle has been an art teacher in Hong Kong for more than a decade. In September, she will be conducting a painting with embroidery workshop, where she will teach students to conceptualise, paint then embroider onto canvas. The results of this medium are captivating.
“It’s not just a painted surface,” explains Frankle. “When you weave some thread into the canvas, the texture enhances everything. I love the fact that you can touch the texture, adding a completely different interaction with the art.”