Tradition Interrupted

Tradition Interrupted explores how artists weave contemporary ideas with traditional art and craft to create thought-provoking hybrid images and objects that have caught the world’s attention. The 12 artists in this exhibition—and their traditions—hail from every corner of the globe. From rugs and mosaics to metalwork and ceramics, they merge age-old art and craft customs with innovative techniques that interrupt tradition while still collaborating with the past.

The artists featured in Tradition Interrupted have lived their lives steeped in the traditions of their ancestors and their connections to cultural customs, imagery, and materials are complex. Some have shared the trepidation they felt when they conceptualized and created their art, but in the process of unraveling tradition, these artists are embracing it and bringing it forward. Ancestral memories and political history—at risk of being forgotten in our fast-paced, digital world—take center stage here. It’s harder to lose sight of something that is staring right at you.

—Carrie Lederer, Curator of Tradition Interrupted

Tradition Interrupted was organized by Bedford Gallery at the Lesher Center for the Arts, Walnut Creek, CA.