Tal Fitzpatrick 'Space Won't Save Us'

SPACE WON’T SAVE US is a new collection of appliqué banners by artist and craftivism researcher Dr. Tal Fitzpatrick that bears witness to this moment in history in a tone that pulls playfully between hope and despair.

Sewn in the context of a looming climate crisis, war and genocide, the decline of democracy and the failure of capitalism to put people or the planet ahead of profit, this collection is a material meditation what it feels like to stay engaged.

Grounded in feminist, queer and anti-colonial histories of deploying craft as a strategy for activism, advocacy and active citizenship, Fitzpatrick once again turns to the comfort and beauty of textiles to remind us that the power to mend our world lies in our hands.

While acknowledging both the allure of nihilism and the depth of grief and sadness present in our world today, Fitzpatrick ultimately creates work that looks to craft a kinder world through criticality, creativity and the fostering of connection.

30% of all sales from this exhibition will be donated to UNRWA, the United Nations relief and works agency for Palestine refugees in the near east.

Tal Fitzpatrick (b. 1988, Israel) is an Australian artist, craftivist and researcher based on the unceded lands of the Kombumerri families of the Yugambeh language region. She holds a PhD in Visual Art from the Victorian College of the Arts (2018), a Bachelor of Arts with First Class Honours from Griffith University (2010) and is best known for her artistic and academic work in the field of craftivism.

As a socially engaged artist working primarily with textiles Tal’s projects deploy craft as a medium for activism, advocacy and as a tool for encouraging participation in the everyday practice of democracy. Her individual and collaborative projects have engaged hundreds of people by deploying the gentle and familiar nature of cloth to tackle challenging issues such as gender-based violence, human rights violations and feminine rage.

Tal’s practice is strongly influenced by her paternal grandmother Australian artist Dawn Fitzpatrick (1922-2021) whose figurative textile wall hangings shaped her approach to creating her appliqué quilted wall-hangings and banners.

Alongside collaborators Kate Just and Stephanie Dunlap, Tal has led several global craftivism projects including the Incinerator Gallery's People's Choice Award winning project the @Covid19quilt (2020) and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights Quilt Project (2016-2018) which was exhibited at the Museum of Australian Democracy (MoAD) at Old Parliament House, Canberra and raised $26,200 AUD for UNHCR.

In 2024 Tal was named highly commended in the 2024 Wollumbin Art Award and completed a six-month artist residency as part of HOTA’s ArtKeeper program. In 2025 her collaboration with artist Melissa Spratt ‘The City Speaks Softly’ - developed as part of the Generate GC development program - is being presented by both Storyfest and BLEACH* festivals. Tal’s ‘Changemakers: Making a difference’ exhibition, presented by MoAD, is touring to regional centers across Australia throughout 2025-2026.

Tal has received grants from the EGC Art Fund, Creative Victoria, City of Melbourne, the Creative Suburbs Grant and the Regional Arts Development Fund through the City of Gold Coast and Arts Queensland. Her work has been exhibited in museums, galleries and art spaces in Melbourne, Sydney, Canberra, Hobart, Perth, Wagga Wagga, the Blue Mountains, Swan Hill, the Gold Coast and abroad in Sweden, Canada and America.

Tal’s academic work has been included in various publications including Care Ethics and Craft (J. Milner & G. Coombs, 2022) and Crafting Dissent: Handicraft as Protest from the American Revolution to the Pussycats (H. Mandell, 2020). Her self-published works include a craftivism handbook titled Craftivism: A Manifesto/Methodology (2018) and a series of catalogues that document her craftivism projects. Her art is also featured in the book retrospective of Australian feminist artists 'Doing Feminism' by Anne Marsh (2021).

https://talfitzpatrick.com/
@talfitzpatrick