PERHAPS YOU HAVE AN, ER, SOFT SPOT for tapestries, and love the idea of ’70s versions cascading into conversation pits. Maybe they make you think of Tuscan scenes woven into antique pieces of furniture, or fiddly failed school projects. Whatever the associations, you need to know that tapestries and their textile-art brethren are huge globally. Embroidery, weaving, beading, appliqué, rug-hooking, knitting and mixing pieces of fabric with other media are just a tiny sample of textile-related craft that artists are embracing.
Take, for example, the much-lauded Polish pavilion at this year’s Venice Biennale. It consists