Textile art occupies a particular position in the contemporary art landscape. Long operating at the edges of institutional recognition, it has emerged as one of the most vital and rigorous fields in contemporary practice, collecting momentum across major collections and art fairs worldwide.

The works at Otomys reflect that shift. Selected for the depth of their making and the identity, memory, and narrative woven into their surfaces, these are works that reward sustained attention. Frances Van Hasselt exemplifies this commitment. Raised on a mohair farm in the Karoo desert, her practice traces the full arc of a textile's life, from rainfall and land to the hands of women artisans in rural South Africa, before the work reaches the wall. Informed by residencies in Japan and Italy, and recognised with a Mandela Washington Fellowship, Van Hasselt brings to textile art the rigour and intentionality of a dedicated fine art practice.