Exhibition Reception
Friday, June 2, 5:30 – 8:00 PM
The evening will celebrate the summer exhibitions and feature open studios by the current resident artists.

Exhibition web page
https://crafthouston.org/exhibition/layla-klinger-hot-house/

Hours & Admission
Open Tuesday - Saturday, 10 AM – 5 PM. Closed major holidays. Admission is free.

(Houston, Tx) — This summer, Houston Center for Contemporary Craft (HCCC) presents
Layla Klinger: Hot House, featuring contemporary lace creations and larger-than-life electroluminescent
installations by the Brooklyn-based fiber artist, Layla Klinger. Born in Tel Aviv, Klinger (they/them) works with
fiber, light and electric currents to investigate intimacy, erotic compulsions, and beauty as merit.

Using electroluminescent wire and playing with code, Klinger creates large-scale, light-emitting, bobbin lace
installations, which generate incredible variations in light patterns. The works are displayed in dark rooms, and
Klinger says the holes in the lace become defined not by the physical reality of the wires but by the light.
“Through activating different light configurations, the holes become unstable: splitting, expanding, appearing,
and disappearing.”

Klinger’s Jewish heritage and upbringing also play an integral role in their artistic practice and content. Hands
are a recurring motif in their work, as they are representative of labor, hand craftsmanship, and physical-erotic
connection. This exhibition marks Klinger’s first major solo exhibition in the United States and includes small,
handmade bobbins for lace making, as well as their vibrant, interactive light installations.

About Layla Klinger
Born and raised in Tel Aviv, Layla Klinger (they/them) is an artist and designer, working with textiles, new
media, and installation. Klinger took up crocheting at 19 and ever since has dedicated their life to working with
textiles and fibers. Their work and approach are rooted in queerness, both conceptually and as a practical
guideline to making. Klinger’s artistic practice focuses on conserving traditional lace-making through new
materials and queer narratives, creating erotic tension, and employing seduction as a strategy for craft
conservation.

Klinger is a graduate of Parsons School of Design and the Textile Design department of Shenkar College of
Engineering, Design and Art, specializing in knit. They spent a semester studying at The Swedish School of
Textiles in Borås, Sweden, and they were an intern in a bespoke embroidery studio in London. They have
exhibited their work in shows and festivals in New York, Los Angeles, Berlin, and Tel Aviv. Klinger is currently
living in New York, teaching textile and fashion studio practices at Parsons School of Design.

About Houston Center for Contemporary Craft
Houston Center for Contemporary Craft (HCCC) is a nonprofit visual arts center dedicated to advancing
education about the process, product, and history of craft. HCCC has served as a treasured resource in the
Houston arts community and the region for more than 20 years. The Center showcases emerging and
acclaimed artists in exhibitions, introduces visitors of all ages to contemporary craft through hands-on and
virtual programming, and supports the development of working artists through its artist residency program.

HCCC is open Tuesday through Saturday, 10 AM – 5 PM. Closed major holidays. Admission is free. Before
visiting, the public should visit www.crafthouston.org to view the latest information. HCCC is located in the
Museum District at 4848 Main Street, three blocks south of the Wheeler Ave. MetroRail station. Free parking is
available directly behind the facility, off Rosedale and Travis Street.

HCCC is supported by individual donors and members and funded in part by The Brown Foundation; Houston
Endowment, Inc.; the City of Houston through the Houston Arts Alliance; Texas Commission on the Arts; the
National Endowment for the Arts, the Kinder Foundation; the Morgan Foundation; Windgate Charitable
Foundation; and the Wortham Foundation. HCCC is a member of the Houston Museum District and the
Midtown Arts District.

For more information, call 713-529-4848 or visit www.crafthouston.org. Find HCCC on Twitter, Facebook, and
Instagram @CraftHouston.