Rezia Wahid’s work is, for her a subtle and progressive process. It is about stepping outside the boundaries of art and craft, the traditional and the modern. She likes to merge fine art concepts within the craft of weaving; what is worn and what is hung for display. Her work explores light and air, the British countryside, the Jamdhani craft of Bangladesh, travels opening up her spiritual, conceptual and artistic understanding.

The freedom of cloth is very important to Rezia, who sees the loom ‘as a piano on which she creates the harmonies of warp and weft, the shades of white, the unfinished edges, the softness of natural fibres and coloured selvedge’s’. She likes people to look beyond the delicate cloths and to feel peace, tranquillity and be inspired to also wear, feel, touch as well as dance with them

During the research and development stage of 'the shape of things' Rezia Wahid was commissioned to produce 'Woven Air' at the Craft Study Centre, Farnham, September 2007-January 2008 which later transferred to the City Gallery, Leicester in September 2009

Rezia Wahid's website

When the Director of 'the shape of things', David Kay, spoke to me about taking part in the project I wanted to be recognised as a British Maker (now I see myself as a handwoven textile artist!) and not be put in a box. We met just as I had started wearing the headscarf and was being seen as a 'muslim artist', which I am, but not just that. My journey to weaving was through my British art education, and my practice is as it is because of the way I was trained at art college. My background and who I am, is a natural part of my being - therefore it is unconsciously visible... so it is very important for me that my weaving is recognised before my cultural diversity'

Catalogue 'Woven Air' by Rezia Wahid