Weaving truths and nightmares, entwined with dark humour
Michelle Driver is a South Australian artist working exclusively in handwoven tapestry. Her practice is rooted in a deep respect for the slow, time-intensive traditions of the medium, yet she pushes tapestry into contemporary relevance through narratives shaped by queerness, neurodiversity, and lived experience of trauma.
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Her works inhabit the intersection of gothic aesthetics and unsettling storytelling, balancing darkness with subtle humour. Each piece transforms threads into layered narratives that reveal beauty within the discarded, overlooked, and uncanny.
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Driver’s work has been recognised nationally, including the 2016 Port Pirie Art Prize and selection as a finalist in numerous exhibitions. Most recently, her tapestry 'Warp / Weft' was featured in Radical Textiles at the Art Gallery of South Australia, affirming her position within Australia’s contemporary textile movement.
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Alongside her fine art practice, Driver produces handwoven scarves, genderless soy candles, and resin skulls under her label Threefold Designs. These works extend her fascination with transformation, materiality, and the gothic, while allowing her to reimagine traditional craft for a broader audience.