Laura Marsh and Inés Raiteri: Labyrinth of Thread
Curated by Saul Ostrow
On View: June 7, 2024 – August 13, 2025
Opening Reception: Saturday, June 7, 6:00 pm – 9:00 pm
Dot Fiftyone Gallery is proud to present Labyrinth of Thread, a pair of concurrent solo exhibitions with a collaborative component, curated by New York-based critic and curator Saul Ostrow. The show explores the textile practices of artists Laura Marsh and Inés Raiteri, focusing on their individual relationships to embroidery, fiber, and painting, as well as their ongoing teaching and community-based work.
Though both artists work with thread, needle, and fabric, they approach textile art from distinctly nontraditional, postmodern perspectives. They challenge expectations by using embroidery not simply as decoration, but as a means of engaging audiences in social commentary and self-reflection. Marsh’s work examines the flamboyant pageantry of middle America, while Raiteri’s practice—rooted in communal rituals—explores the expressive and spiritual dimensions of modernist geometry.
“Behind their use of embroidery as a common medium lie complex matters and histories. The juxtaposition of the works of these two women—of differing generations and cultural backgrounds—creates a lively dialogue that guides us on a mythic journey through the labyrinth of identity and human experience.”
— Saul Ostrow, independent critic and curator
Born in 1982, Laura Marsh (Binghamton, NY) is known for her textile works and installations addressing history, affirmations, personal memory, social conditions, diverse perspectives, and American identities. Inés Raiteri, born in 1963 in Mar del Plata, Argentina, is recognized for her installations, textiles, paintings, and social practice projects, which explore themes such as urban design, architecture, body-space relationships, community, memory, and intimacy.
At the heart of Labyrinth of Thread is a collaborative installation featuring three large-scale textile works and community samplers. These tapestries reflect the dynamic interplay between Marsh and Raiteri’s distinct artistic perspectives and teaching practices. One of the works originated in a community workshop led by Raiteri and was later incorporated into Marsh’s adult embroidery class in Miami Springs. The resulting large-scale embroidery sampler is a testament to collective effort and shared creativity. The other two tapestries were co-created by Marsh and Raiteri, emphasizing the synergy of their collaboration. Together, the works move throughout the gallery space, inviting continued, threaded participation.
One piece—begun by Marsh and completed by Raiteri—depicts a symbolic “highway of life,” divided into north and south motifs. It traces a conceptual journey through time and place, blending Marsh’s northern storytelling roots with Raiteri’s emphasis on communal ritual. In contrast, the second work—a densely embroidered geometric composition—was initiated by Raiteri and finished by Marsh utilizing the shisha Indian technique of embedding mirrors through embroidery, inviting good omens, and underscoring their shared exploration of textiles as a language. These collaborations highlight each artist’s approach while also transforming embroidery into a medium for shared artistic dialogue. Alongside these works, the exhibition features individual pieces from each artist, demonstrating the breadth of their solo practices.
“While both artists use embroidery to embody a spirit of connection and perseverance, their viewpoints diverge. Raiteri’s practice functions as an anthropological exploration—interweaving personal and collective histories to question community, identity, and place. Marsh’s approach, on the other hand, is archaeological—focusing on the appropriation and display of heraldic symbolism to reinterpret fading cultural rituals. Much like Ariadne’s thread guiding Theseus through the labyrinth, Raiteri and Marsh use their work to navigate identity and history, unraveling hidden narratives and offering pathways to shared meaning.” — Saul Ostrow
“Labyrinth of Thread” will remain on view until August 13, 2025. Dot Fiftyone Gallery is located at 7275 NE 4th Ave, Miami, with gallery hours from Monday to Friday, 12:00 pm – 6:30 pm, and Saturday, 2:00 pm – 6:00 pm.
Essay of the show
Inés Raiteri and Laura Marsh Final – Embroidery
Laura Marsh and Inés Raiteri : Labyrinth of Thread
The divide between craft and art has dissolved. Artists incorporate techniques, practices, and materials associated with art and craft together. This is a recognition of crafts’ challenge of aesthetic hierarchies and critique of mass production and replication. This transformation in critical boundaries is central in the works of Laura Marsh and Ines Raiteri. They reimagine practices linked to craft as a medium conveying complex conceptual and aesthetic narratives.
Born in 1982, Laura Marsh hails from Binghamton, NY and is known for her textile works iand installations, which address themes of family history, personal memory, and rural middle- class America. Inés Raiteri was born in Mar del Plata, Argentina, in 1963, and is known for her installations, textiles, paintings, and social practice projects, which explore such diverse themes as urban design, architecture, community interactions, body-space relationships, memory, and intimacy. Behind their use of embroidery as a common medium there lurk complex matters and histories. Subsequently, the juxtaposition of the works of these two women of differing generations and cultural backgrounds generates a lively dialogue that guides us on a mythic journey through the labyrinth of identity and the human experience.
Though both artists use thread, needle, and fabric in their work, they approach textile art from a distinctly non-traditional — Postmodern perspective. They disrupt expectations by using embroidery not merely as a decorative medium but as a tool for engaging audiences in social commentary and self-reflection. Marsh’s work examines the flamboyant nature of middle-America’s pageantry, while Raiteri’s art, rooted in communal rituals, explores the expressive and spiritual dimensions of modernist geometry. While both artists are women, their aesthetic approaches reflect contrasting engagements with gendered cultural narratives. Raiteri’s work, with its delicate forms and textures, evokes intimate, traditionally feminine moments, while Marsh’s narratives are drawn from the culture of public display and social rituals often associated with masculinity. This juxtaposition underscores how their works uniquely engage with and subverts the gender associations tied to textiles as a medium.
To fully grasp the significance of Marsh and Raiteri’s varied practices, it is essential to reflect on embroidery’s shifting cultural and historical role, from a domestic pastime to a medium of artistic and social critique. At present, embroidery tends to be nostalgically associated with craft or a tedious pastime that grandmothers sought to teach to granddaughters in the era before-social media. This loss of stature begins with the advent of mechanical reproduction in the 19th century, when embroidery carried contradictory connotations: as a symbol of wealth, a leisurely hobby, or a form of folk art. However, these modern perceptions obscure the deeper historical and cultural significance that Raiteri and Marsh tap into.
Across centuries and continents, embroidery has been far more than mere decoration or handicraft—it has served as a bridge connecting cultures, generations, and personal histories. Peoples from various diasporas and colonized communities have relied on embroidery to preserve their national identity, using it as a medium to sustain cultural heritage and resist erasure. Whether crafted by artisans, passed down through families, or used as embellishment, embroidery has embodied stories of identity and continuity. Therefore, the current reductive view of skills like embroidery distorts their rich histories and profound meanings.
This rich history finds contemporary expression in the works of Marsh and Raiteri. Their various projects demonstrate how embroidery can serve as a platform for individual expression and collective creativity. The contrast in their approaches to their medium converge in their collaborative projects, which exemplify how embroidery can transcend individual narratives to create shared meaning. At the heart of this exhibition are three tapestries that highlight the dynamic interplay between Marsh and Raiteri’s distinct perspectives. The first is a community project initiated by Raiteri during an adult workshop and later incorporated into Marsh’s adult embroidery and materials class. The result is a large-scale embroidery sampler that reflects collective effort and shared creativity. The other two tapestries were co-created by Marsh and Raiteri, further emphasizing their collaborative synergy.
One piece, begun by Marsh and completed by Raiteri, features imagery that forms a symbolic “highway of life,” divided into north and south motifs. This work represents a conceptual journey through time and space, blending Marsh’s interest in storytelling with Raiteri’s focus on communal rituals. In contrast, the second piece—a densely embroidered geometric work—was started by Raiteri and handed off to Marsh for completion, showcasing their mutual exploration of textiles as a medium. These collaborative works not only highlight the artists’ unique approaches but also underscore how their partnership transforms embroidery into a powerful tool for shared artistic dialogue. Meanwhile also included in the exhibitions are examples of each artist’s own distinctive works.
While both these artists use embroidery to embody a spirit of connection and perseverance, their viewpoints diverge. Raiteri’s use of embroidery can be seen as an anthropological exploration—weaving together personal and collective histories to create narratives that probe the complexities of community, identity, and place. In contrast, Marsh’s approach functions as an archaeological endeavor, focusing on the use and appropriation of heraldic symbolism and its public display to uncover and reinterpret the fading cultural practices and rituals. Much like Ariadne’s thread guiding Theseus through the labyrinth, Raiteri and Marsh use their works to navigate the complexities of identity and history. Together they unravel stories that might otherwise be lost while offering pathways to meaning within the intricate narratives of our shared experience.
Saul Ostrow NYC
April 2025
Saul Ostrow is an independent critic and curator. He has been the Editor of the book series Critical Voices in Art, Theory and Culture published by Routledge, London, Co-Editor of Lusitania Press (1996-12004) and since1987 has been the Art Editor for Bomb Magazine. He has curated over 80 exhibitions in the US and abroad. His own writings have appeared in numerous art magazines, journals, catalogues and books in the USA and Europe.
