Artist transforms the humble T-shirt
Published on 06 November 2025
Portarlington-based artist Kate V M Sylvester uses old t-shirts to create large-scale installations. Opening at Wangaratta Art Gallery this Thursday, her new exhibition, Pleats of Matter, is a fascinating look at how the humble t-shirt can create powerful artwork, addressing themes of sustainability and textile waste.
Using a unique dissection process, Sylvester meticulously unthreads and deconstructs old t-shirts by hand, changing the texture of the threads to create an entirely new fabric. Through the process she reflects on how things can change over time and how a simple t-shirt can be shaped by gravity, time and environment.
The title of exhibition, Pleats of Matter, was inspired by French philosopher Gilles Deleuze’s notion of ‘the pleats of matter and the folds of time’, where matter and time are constantly interacting and shaping one another. In this way Sylvester’s work invites viewers to consider the relationship between humans and nature, and the resulting material we as humans produce.
Wangaratta Art Gallery Director, Rachel Arndt says:
“In slowing down the dissection of a simple t-shirt, Sylvester invites a renewed awareness of our impact and our interconnection with the natural world and a new perspective of our relationship with the universal elements that are continuously active in our daily lives.”
Kate V M Sylvester is a Perth-born artist currently based in Portarlington, Victoria. She holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts (Painting) from the Victorian College of the Arts and a Bachelor of Arts in Art History from La Trobe University. Her work has been recognised in numerous award exhibitions including the North Sydney Art Prize (2024), We the Makers Sustainable Fashion Prize (2023) and Yering Station Sculpture Award (2022).
Sylvester’s solo exhibitions include KVMS Retrospect at 69 Smith Street Gallery (2014) and a 2017 show at Tinning Street Presents. Her work featured in Fabrik: conceptual, minimalist and performative approaches to textile, 2016, with works on display at the Ian Potter Museum of Art and at the Margaret Lawrence Gallery.
The artist will be speaking about her work on Thursday 13 November from 5pm, prior to the launch of her exhibition from 5.30pm. All welcome.
Please visit www.wangarattaartgallery.com.au for further information.
The exhibition, Pleats of Matter will be on display until 11 January 2026.
Image 1: Kate V M Sylvester, In every tee, 2019, detail, installation at Sculpture at Scenic World, Katoomba NSW, dimensions variable.
Image 2: Kate V M Sylvester, Enter right stage,2015, recycled cotton blend red t-shirts, installation view, Living Museum of the West. Photo Kate Robertson.