Erin M. Riley

Erin M. Riley is a tapestry weaver working on a floor loom with hand-dyed wool. She slowly and methodically builds imagery that is sourced from the internet, video stills, and her personal cache of photographs. Riley’s work is inspired by how the depths of the internet have shaped her; from exploring sexuality to understanding queer identity, unpacking trauma, mental illness, and addiction. Riley is propelled by the idea that while we might feel alone in our experiences, there is probably a place or a person or a thing who has experienced what we have. This seeking for understanding is a hugely youthful concept and she hopes her work inspires curiosity because no matter how specific, we are not isolated in our experiences. Riley explores the solace that comes from speaking up about our struggles and finding our corners of the world or the world wide web. Riley finds images that are compelling and complicated, simplifies them down to their essence into a cartoon drawing, and begins to weave them in some of the traditional ways that tapestry has been executed for decades. This work is presented in contemporary art galleries, textile exhibitions, and museums to create and add to the narrative of textile work while challenging the notions of feminism, human rights, and experiences, and sex positivity.

Riley received a BFA from Massachusetts College of Art and Design, Boston, MA, and an MFA from Tyler School of Art, Philadelphia, PA both in Fibers. Riley is represented by P.P.O.W Gallery, New York, NY where they have solo exhibitions in 2018 and 2021. Riley is a 2021 United States Artist Fellow, their work was collected as part of the 2021 Academy of Arts & Letters Purchase Prize and was a resident artist at Dieu Donné Workspace Program, The Corporation of Yaddo, MacDowell, and Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts in 2012.