TANIA’S BIO

Tania Sanhueza is Torontonian textile artist. Tania studied at Ontario College of Arts and Design and received a Diploma in Fine Arts (1997-2002). Since that time she has worked on wardrobe for film and TV and exhibited throughout the world both commercially and artistically. Most recent group exhibits, textile and mixed media, have been held with Magic Pony; exhibits in Toronto, the Gladstone hotel, and traveling toy exhibits.

Tania learned about sewing when she was 11, self-taught, while attempting to sew a skirt during an episode of Star Trek on her mother’s metal, Brother sewing machine. Then throughout her teenage years she worked at Fabric Land and learned about fabric and sewing. During this time she religiously watched FT Fashion on TV and would spend hours sketching designs.
Although her primary love was illustration (once a regular contributor to the Walrus) her focus on illustration and sewing combined and developed into its own unique language. Creating characters based on her drawings and also characters of other artists, Derrick Hodgson’s famous Bluebee and other works. Thus her partnership with Derrick evolved and they created the commercial entity; Hoboyard. The city squirrel, Ciccioponi, was her first sculpture combining her new awareness of city poverty, a social issue, and her textile craft. This squirrel was to represent and remind the public of their presence and purpose in the city. She realized this after watching a homeless woman collect carcasses of squirrels as meat one afternoon while looking at trees in the park. Since then her sculpture has been social commentary on wild animal and environmental preservation.
Her sculptures are made from as much donated, recycled and found material as possible. She tries to incorporate as much environmentally sound processes as possible. Using material that can break down faster and using materials that have been grown pesticide free, and alternative stuffing such as sawdust and herbs, ect.
Each piece is hand made and laboriously stitched together during many, many hours of listening to the BBC radio and watching The Hour.

Tania does fabric animal sculptures by private commission.