Held in the Weft

In-Person tour: November 13 at noon 

Virtual tour: January 8, 2027 at noon (on Facebook Live)

Held in the Weft is a conversation with the past. Working in her home studio, Saskatoon based artist Négar Devine-Tajgardan weaves brightly coloured bias tapes, recreating patterns that were a familiar sight throughout her childhood.

Négar was born and raised in Iran, immigrating to Canada to pursue a Master of Fine Arts degree in 2016. The more time that passes here in her new home, the more her own identity and perceptions adapt, leaving some threads behind. 

Her works give space to the past and the present, to heritage and lived experience. Held in the Weft is rooted in the visual culture of Iran, particularly looking to the visual forms and patterns found in Persian textiles, tapestries and architectural ornamentation.

While the patterns are cultural, Négar’s materials are modern. They nod to her new home and life here in Canada. Into the vertical warp of bias tape, thin strips of paper are used as the horizontal weft. Bright moments of pearly contrast, they stand out against deep reds, golds and greens of the fabric. Each strip of paper holds hundreds of tiny photographs from across the artist’s life, blending the past and present. Winding through the images of play, rest, work and travel, is the South Saskatchewan River.

As the warp and weft of the weavings merge, so to do memory, tradition and culture. As Négar weaves, her hands connect to culture and heritage, to a life that was, is and will be ever evolving.

Held in the Weft is an ongoing journey, moments of recognition and resonance, a window into an experience that is shared by so many.