Weaving her-story: Jewish matriarchs at centre of new Jewish Museum exhibition

At its core, Circle of Her – the Jewish Museum of Australia's latest major exhibition – is about honouring the threads that shape us: the women we come from, those who walk beside us and the ones we carry within.

It marks a new body of work and direction for fibre artist Tammy Kanat, whose deeply personal woven installations explore ancestral memory, connection and femininity through Jewish archetypes. 

Curated by Esther Gyorki, Circle of Her is the third in a series of Eva and Marc Besen Contemporary Artist Commissions, following Carnelian by Yvette Coppersmith in 2023 and I Could Have Danced All Night by Danielle Brustman in 2024. 

It is accompanied by a new publication authored by Paola Di Trocchio, former curator at the National Gallery of Victoria, with contributions from leading voices including Rachelle Unreich, Jo Horgan and Sally Dan-Cuthbert. A number of artworks by Kanat’s father, Tim Blashki, and daughter, Francesca Kanat, are positioned within the exhibition, while music by her brother Grant Blashki and Gidi Ifergan is played in the space.

Tammy Kanat: Circle of Her is currently exhibiting at the Jewish Museum of Australia until 22 March 2026. Find out more information and book tickets online.