Tia Ansell

Tia Ansell is a New Zealand painter and weaver based in Australia. Tia's art practice delves into themes of coded histories within her weaving-paintings, intertwining narratives that explore observational patterns and the urban choreography present in her environment. She investigates architectural compositions, historical narratives, and the nature of weaving as both a surface and a structure, highlighting its significance as one of humanity’s original technologies. At Center Rog she's working on the two-metre-long weaving that explores the intersection of traditional weaving and painting through a structured grid format. Integrating three repetitive patterns, the work engages directly with the theme "Boundaries and Frictions," using the grid as a metaphorical and literal framework to examine how we structure space, both organisationally and architecturally. The patterns are drawn from architectural observations of three buildings that hold personal and cultural significance: Freeman's Bay Star Blocks public housing (Frederick Newman, 1965) in Auckland, New Zealand- representing her childhood; the Fitzroy Town Hall ballroom (William J. Ellis, 1873) in Melbourne, Australia-her studio and current place of residence; and the Mutual Insurance Building (Jože Plečnik, 1928) in Ljubljana, Slovenia- the site of her current residency. Each building reflects a distinct social and historical context, anchoring the work in layered geographic and temporal narratives. Within the woven fabric, clearly delineated rows and columns mirror the structured, often rigid nature of bureaucratic and institutional architectural systems. Through this format, the work reflects on how the built environment shapes our experience and understanding of boundaries, both physical and societal. This approach is central to her broader practice, which focuses on decoding and responding to urban environments through textile-based processes.