Diedrick Brackens presents his first solo exhibition in the Bay Area, "gather tender night," at Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco. Guest-curated by Eungie Joo, the show features 15 tapestries from 2020 onward and three new works from 2026, including the immersive installation "clearing (2026)." Brackens, a Black queer artist and CCA professor, uses hand-dyed cotton and acrylic yarn to weave narratives of personal memory, myth, and the natural world, drawing from West African weaving, California fiber art, European tapestry, and Gee's Bend quilting. His approach, influenced by the "sloppy craft" ethos of his mentor Josh Faught, embraces unfinished edges and visible process as acts of refusal against polished traditions.
This exhibition matters because it positions weaving as a radical, experimental medium for exploring Black and queer identity, migration, and embodied knowledge. Brackens's work challenges hierarchies that have historically marginalized textile art, while his silhouetted Black figures and references to cotton's violent history confront viewers with the entanglement of beauty and trauma. The show also marks a homecoming for the artist, returning to the region where he earned his MFA, and underscores the growing institutional recognition of fiber art as a vehicle for urgent social and political commentary.