Tau Lewis

Lewis was born in 1993, in Toronto, Canada.^[8] She was raised by her Irish and French Canadian mother, who ran a small landscaping business until her death in 2022. Lewis' father was born in Jamaica and ran a reggae bar in Toronto.^[6] Lewis, who has a passion for writing, attended school for journalism twice and dropped out both times before dedicating herself to her art. As a result, Lewis is a self-taught artist who has crafted her education through communication with her peers and through the meeting and research of some of her artistic influences such as Lonnie Holley and the Gee’s Bend Quilting Collective.^[6] As critic Tiana Reid wrote in an Art News interview, “although Lewis did not attend art school, she received her education in a less conventional way, through the close study of her creative inspirations”.^[2]

Lewis is known widely for her sculptural work that employs the use of found objects and fabrics that are often found, thrifted, or donated to her. She then combines these materials through hand-sewing, quilting, appliqué, and carving methods which results in creations that often evoke fantastical otherworldly beings with an outwardly handmade quality. By using these hands-on techniques Lewis develops a strong connection to the materials and the resulting sculptural work.^[2] In interviews, Lewis discusses a transference of energy that occurs through time and touch between herself, her found materials, and the final work. In this way, Lewis draws the objects’ past histories and experiences into her own ever-evolving narrative that surrounds her work.^[9]