MADONNA DEI FEMMINELLƏ
The solo exhibition Madonna dei Femminellə by John Paul Morabito, curated by Sarah Hume, is on view at the Kent State University Museum (515 Hilltop Dr), Ohio, United States, until June 22, 2025.
The works included in this exhibition belong to the Magnificat series, in which the artist explores their identity as both a queer person and a Catholic Italian American. Morabito reinterprets the works of Italian Old Masters, transforming their paintings into refined tapestries woven on a digital Jacquard loom. In this reimagining, they incorporate glass beads—elements that evoke both the splendor of Catholicism and the aesthetics of camp.
By choosing textiles as their medium, Morabito reflects on the status of this art form, historically regarded as inferior to painting. The artist refers to these works as “tapestries,” using the term in a broad sense to describe textiles as artworks rather than in its more technical definition, which describes weaving with discontinuous weft. In reworking canonical images, Morabito updates them not only with striking colors but also with highly sophisticated weaving techniques, visible in chevrons, zigzags, and meanders. The choice of tapestry as a medium is essential not only in achieving the desired aesthetic but also in advocating for the visibility of communities that have struggled for recognition and acceptance.
“It is my great pleasure to share my work with the Kent State University community,” Morabito stated. “Our museum and textile program have contributed to the development and excellence of fiber arts for decades—being part of this legacy is an honor. The tapestries in this exhibition exist at the boundary of multiple dimensions, proposing a new vision of the world. I hope to offer a space where those who have been rejected, marginalized, and disavowed might find the divine grace that has been denied to them.”
In 2024, Morabito was named a United States Artists Fellow for their significant contributions to weaving and contemporary art. Their works have been exhibited at international venues, including the Zhejiang Art Museum in Hangzhou, China; the Southeastern Center for Contemporary Art, an affiliate of the North Carolina Museum of Art in Winston-Salem, North Carolina; the Des Moines Art Center in Des Moines, Iowa; the Nerman Museum of Contemporary Art in Overland Park, Kansas; the Center for Craft in Asheville, North Carolina; and the John Michael Kohler Arts Center in Sheboygan, Wisconsin.
Their works are held in both public and private collections, including the North Carolina Museum of Art in Raleigh, North Carolina, and the Musée des Maîtres et Artisans du Québec in Montréal, Canada. Morabito holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the Maryland Institute College of Art and a Master of Fine Arts from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. They are represented by Patricia Sweetow Gallery in Los Angeles, CA – 1700 So. Santa Fe Ave. #351 (contact@patriciasweetowgallery.com | T 213-265-7471).
This exhibition is sponsored by Janice Lessman-Moss. The Kent State University Museum receives operational support through a sustainability grant from the Ohio Arts Council.
