It's likely those close to textile artist Julia Gutman rarely put their old clothes in a charity bin - they are headed for a gallery instead.
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Gutman, 29, makes art from clothes and materials donated by her friends and family, and after an extended time working alone during COVID, her practice is taking off.
Earlier in 2022 she had her first solo show at Sullivan+Strumpf in Sydney, while one of her recent pieces is a standout in the Primavera show at the Museum of Contemporary Art.
"Isn't it all just a long conversation?" is Gutman's biggest work to date, showing the people closest to her across four massive yet intricately sewn panels.
In one scene, Gutman's pregnant sister towers above the viewer, a figure stitched from cloth belonging to the artist as well as her sister, their mother and grandmother.
"There is something beautiful about making something monumental from everyday relationships," the artist told AAP.
The last panel shows a figure half in the picture and half out of it - that's Gutman herself escaping from the frame, holding a piece of tapestry sewn by her great-great-great grandmother.
Primavera is the MCA's annual exhibition of young Australian artists aged 35 and under, and one of the country's longest-running exhibition series, with the first show in 1992.
Its 2022 offering also includes SA artist Sundari Carmody alongside Angela Goh and Jazz Money from NSW, Victorian Amrita Hepi and Katie West from WA.
Guest curator Micheal Do told AAP the show often happens at a pivotal point in the careers of young artists.
"Julia is one of the most interesting voices... her work is a bold proclamation of the future of Australian art," he said.
Gutman originally trained as a painter and turned to textiles in 2016, first making soft sculptures and then moving to sewn pictures about three years ago.
Working in textiles brings not only aesthetic considerations but practical ones too.
"The same thing that is creating the image is also giving the piece structure," she said.
Gutman works on both a domestic and an industrial sewing machine, with her pieces for the solo show and Primavera taking about a year to put together.
She consults her family and friends about how they would like to be represented, and in telling their stories, the artist is stitching together a tale about herself too.
"We are made of the people who are close to us," she said.
Primavera is a free show at Sydney's Museum of Contemporary Art, on until February 12.
AAP's reporter travelled with the assistance of Destination NSW.
Australian Associated Press
