Image: Courtesy of Jules Lister
Donely is a fibre artist specialising in rug-tufting using vegan materials. Wavy Lady is a hand-tufted rug inspired by a stewarding fellowship Donely undertook in 2019 at the 58th Venice Biennale, through the British Council. The work depicts a woman, hanging upside down, in the foetal position, tufted in various shades of blue. She represents vulnerability and the emotional experience of ‘falling in love with unfamiliar places; with atmospheres, with experiences, with strangers… the fleeting nature of these floating away in the water as quickly as they appeared’.
“Alena Donely’s practice has gone from strength to strength since graduating and completing her Salford Scholarship. The transition from university to being independent can be very challenging, with many adjustments including sourcing access to space and equipment. Through Alena’s own resourcefulness and dedication she has her built up her fully equipped workshop from where she can work on an ambitious scale and welcome people from all over the country and from overseas for her workshops and sharing of skills and experience.
The combination of the physicality of the heavy pneumatic tufting gun and the soft and colourful work it produces is not lost on Donely or the experience of her work. The tactile balance of the cold and the soft speaks of the expression of conflicting emotions. The roots of Donely’s practice flow from a personal place, drawing from her own mental health and telling her own story, whilst sharing works and a practice that is ever-accessible for others to engage and be inspired to both read and share their own experiences.
Donely’s welcoming and generous spirit of sharing has not stopped at the doors of her own studio – since taking on her own space at Islington Mill she has been an engaged member of the community, extending to her active involvement in the long-term security and future of the studios for others to come.”
~Rachel Goodyear, Co-director at Islington Mill
Image: Courtesy of Sam Parker
Wavy Lady, 2020
Hand-tufted rug in acrylic and linen yarn
Alena Ruth Donely (2018/19)
The work reflects contrasting notions of ‘holding on’ and ‘letting’ go as a constant presence in the artists life, in a practice that draws on modern existentialism, experience of mental illness, trauma, and self-soothing – as well as being ‘unapologetically technicolour, playful and emotive’. She describes the object of the rug as an ‘island of play’ as a child – a place of storytelling, emotional connection and a comforting nostalgia.
Image: Courtesy of Jules Lister
Donely has exhibited work in group shows at Castlefield Gallery, Salford Museum and Art Gallery, HOME, and The Whitworth. She has also collaborated with Salford Lads and Girls Club, and made new work for the reopening of Rochdale Town Hall. Still based at Islington Mill, Alena now runs the Manchester Tufting Workshop, delivering commissions, workshops, courses and private tuition; as well as running collaborative sessions with the public at events including The Manchester Contemporary, 2023 and We Invented the Weekend, 2024.
