Richard McVetis was a resident member of Textiles Hub London between 2013 and 2017. During this formative period his practice developed significantly through exhibition, critical dialogue and participation in Textiles Hub London’s growing international network of artists, curators and researchers.
Working at the intersection of textiles, drawing and sculpture, McVetis has established one of the most distinctive voices in contemporary fibre art. Through thousands of meticulously hand-stitched marks, his work explores time, repetition, labour and memory, transforming the simplest of gestures into richly contemplative landscapes. His finely calibrated compositions invite prolonged looking, revealing subtle rhythms and accumulations that speak of both permanence and impermanence.
Of British and Lithuanian heritage, McVetis’s practice investigates the relationship between making and time. Stitch becomes both drawing and recording device, measuring duration through repetitive acts of handwork while exploring ideas of landscape, mapping, ecology and human intervention. More recently, his research has expanded to address environmental change and the material relationships between people, landscape and the natural world, bringing a new ecological dimension to his practice.
McVetis has received widespread international recognition for his work. He was shortlisted for the prestigious LOEWE Foundation Craft Prize, one of the world’s leading awards celebrating contemporary craft, and has also received the Cockpit Textile Prize, recognising excellence and innovation within British textiles. His work has been exhibited internationally, including exhibitions in South Korea, and has been developed through numerous artist residencies that have further expanded his research-based practice.
Alongside his artistic career, McVetis has become an influential educator and researcher. He is Co-Head of the MA Textiles programme at the Royal College of Art, where he contributes to shaping the next generation of textile artists and designers through teaching, research and critical practice. His work has also led to collaborations with respected British design companies including TOAST, demonstrating the increasingly fluid relationship between contemporary art, craftsmanship and responsible design.
Represented by leading galleries and widely exhibited both nationally and internationally, McVetis’s work is held in public and private collections and continues to receive critical acclaim for its technical refinement, conceptual depth and extraordinary sensitivity to material.
Richard McVetis’s career exemplifies Textiles Hub London’s commitment to nurturing artists whose practices evolve into positions of international significance. His progression from resident artist to internationally recognised practitioner, award winner, academic leader and environmental researcher demonstrates the lasting value of sustained artistic development, interdisciplinary research and curatorial support.
Further information: https://www.richardmcvetis.com
