(Image: Supplied)
An Edinburgh tapestry studio is showcasing more than 20 contemporary works at a major London exhibition exploring the enduring power of tapestry as an art form.
Dovecot Studios is among the contributors to Beyond Bayeux: Tapestry Now, at Guildhall Art Gallery, where works by leading contemporary artists demonstrate how the centuries-old craft continues to evolve.
David Hockney and Dovecot Studios, ‘A Tapestry Made from a Painting, Made from a Painting of a Tapestry, Made from a Painting’. 1970. (Image: Richard Schmidt.)
Running until March 21, 2027, the exhibition features collaborations with artists including David Hockney, Sir Peter Blake, Hurvin Anderson, Rachel Maclean and Yinka Shonibare.
Each tapestry on display was created in Edinburgh through close collaboration between the artists and Dovecot’s master weavers.
The exhibition runs alongside the British Museum’s showcase of the Bayeux Tapestry, offering visitors a contemporary perspective on the medium’s history and storytelling traditions.
‘Beyond Bayeux: Tapestry Now’. (Image: Supplied)
Among the highlights is a six-metre tapestry by Turner Prize-nominated artist Hurvin Anderson, commissioned to mark the 600th anniversary of Lincoln College, Oxford. The work is being shown at Guildhall before its planned installation at the college next year.
The exhibition also features a tapestry commissioned by David Hockney, based on his 1963 painting Play Within a Play. It marks the artist’s first collaboration with Dovecot Studios.
‘Beyond Bayeux: Tapestry Now’. (Image: Supplied)
Hockney was drawn to tapestry for its narrative potential and spent many years living in Normandy, near the Apocalypse Tapestries and the Bayeux Tapestry.
Another featured work is The Garden Carpet, a 2025 collaboration between Dovecot and architect Farshid Moussavi for V&A Dundee. Inspired by Persian textile traditions, the tapestry imagines a contemporary paradise populated by endangered Scottish plants and animals.
‘Beyond Bayeux: Tapestry Now’. (Image: Supplied)
Other works explore the medium’s technical and visual possibilities. In Modern Spiritual (Fang Ngil, Kumbaduba), Yinka Shonibare reinterprets African masks through coloured hanging warps, knots and single and double weave techniques.
Alberta Whittle’s Ring Around the Rosy and Rachel Maclean’sGoo Gaa also push the boundaries of tapestry, using shaped outlines and digital imagery respectively.
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Celia Joicey, director of Dovecot Studios, said: “This exhibition is an opportunity to showcase tapestry as not only one of the world's oldest fine art mediums, but also one that has a powerful connection to contemporary artists.
“To ensure that tapestry continues to flourish, it is crucial to highlight the importance of commissioning new work, while celebrating the incredible skills of Dovecot and British tapestry weavers.”
‘Beyond Bayeux: Tapestry Now’. (Image: Supplied)
Brendan Barns, chair of the City of London Corporation’s Culture, Heritage and Libraries Committee, said: “Tapestry has brought luxury and storytelling to some of the world’s most beautiful interiors, including the Sistine Chapel, Royal Palace of Madrid, Versailles, Hampton Court Palace, and Guildhall in the City of London, which has a long history of commissioning some of the finest tapestries in the UK.
“This exhibition reflects our mission to be an art gallery about London for London by highlighting the capital as a powerhouse for commissioning contemporary tapestry and creating outstanding opportunities for artists and weavers alike.
“While the British Museum highlights the Bayeux Tapestry and key moments in history, Dovecot Studios and Guildhall Art Gallery are proud to be playing their part in celebrating the future of UK tapestry.”