Josh Faught: Sanctuary

Josh Faught (U.S., b. 1979). Sanctuary [detail]. 2017. Hand-woven, hand-dyed cotton, hemp, and gold lame with found and archival materials. Henry Art Gallery, Gift of William and Ruth True, originally commissioned in 2016 for Saint Mark's Cathedral, Seattle, WA, 2020.5. Image courtesy of the artist.

Lower Level Gallery

March 08, 2025 — July 27, 2025

Josh Faught (b. 1979, Missouri, based in San Francisco, CA) creates multi-media works that combine weaving, found objects, and ephemera to explore craft traditions, queer culture, and personal history. By incorporating materials from both institutional and personal archives, Faught reimagines systems of classification that assign social and cultural value, investigating how collective and individual identities are shaped and examining structures of social support and visibility.

This exhibition highlights Sanctuary (2017), a monumental tapestry commissioned by Western Bridge for Seattle’s Saint Mark’s Cathedral and now part of the Henry’s collection. Drawing from Faught’s personal collections and local Seattle archives, Sanctuary reflects on how queer communities have created spaces of safety and connection, and how these practices intersect with themes of faith, devotion, and desire. The tapestry features a rich array of found and archival materials, weaving together spirituality, history, and pop culture. These references evoke stories of connection and isolation in queer history as a means to address ongoing questions about safety, belonging, and well-being.

Accompanying Sanctuary is a selection of Faught’s recent basket and sweater works. These smaller scale pieces complement the sprawling height of Sanctuary, highlighting relationships between communal and individual experience and examining how similar themes of survival, loss, and joy play out across the intimate space of the body.

Artist Bio

Josh Faught explores the conjunction between various histories: the history of textiles, sociopolitical histories, and the artist’s personal history. Recent solo exhibitions include Look Across the Water into the Darkness, Look for the Fog, Wattis Institute, San Francisco (2022); Both Things are True, Koppe Astner, Glasgow (2019); Casa Loewe, London (2019); Sanctuary, commissioned by Western Bridge, St Mark’s Cathedral, Seattle (2017); Siyinqaba, US Embassy in Swaziland, Mbabane (2015); BE BOLD for what you stand for, BE CAREFUL what you fall for, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art at the Neptune Society Columbarium, San Francisco (2013); Snacks, Supports, and Something to Rally Around, Contemporary Art Museum, St Louis (2013). Faught has exhibited in group exhibitions at NAK Neuer Aachener Kunstverein, Aachen; Houston Center for Contemporary Craft, Houston; Museum of Arts and Design, New York; Yerba Buena Center for Art, San Francisco; The New Museum, New York; ICA Boston; The Contemporary Arts Museum, Houston; Grazer Kunstverein, Graz; Pakville Galleries, Ontario; and The Museum of Contemporary Art, Detroit. He is a professor of textiles and fine arts at the California College of the Arts.

CREDITS

Josh Faught: Sanctuary is organized by Nina Bozicnik, Senior Curator, with Em Chan, Curatorial Assistant. Generous support provided by the Seattle Office of Arts & Culture.

Exhibitions at the Henry are made possible through the generous support of our annual sponsors, 4Culture and ArtsFund.