Threshold

Igshaan Adams’ delicate veil demarcates a domestic threshold that is also a spiritual one. Titled threshold, this veil of hand-dyed and meticulously beaded cotton evokes the beaded strings that hang between the rooms of houses, but is also a delicate portrait of the worn patterns of a prayer mat that was gifted to Adams, who was raised Muslim. The intricate beading and dyeing of the work suggest an act of devotional, prayerful labour in a domestic setting, recalling Adams’ own introduction to textile art by an aunt. In inviting us to look through this veil and imagine moving through it, Adams also contemplates the movements – through ideas, faiths and traditions – that have defined his own life as a queer, practising Muslim who has had to, and continues to, navigate his faith and his sexuality.