Meet the Crochet Artists
Exhibiting in Galleries Around the World

As a crochet designer, I've often heard the debate about whether crochet is an art or a craft. But it wasn't until recently that I started looking at the question through the lens of my previous career in the arts world.

Before launching Start Crochet, I was the Director of a contemporary arts and culture center in Egypt. Over the years, I worked closely with artists from a wide range of disciplines, including painting, sculpture, photography, installation art, video art, performance art, and mixed media. I've also visited countless galleries, museums, art fairs, and international exhibitions around the world.

In April 2026, I attended the Cologne Art Fair in Mallorca, and this weekend I'll be visiting Art Basel in Switzerland, one of the world's most influential contemporary art fairs. These experiences reminded me of something I had noticed throughout my years in the art world: despite seeing artists work with almost every imaginable material, I rarely encountered crochet as a medium of artistic expression.

That observation sparked a question. If artists can create powerful work using paint, metal, wood, fabric, video, found objects, and even entire buildings, where does crochet fit into the conversation?

As I began researching, I discovered a fascinating group of artists who have taken crochet far beyond blankets, garments, and home décor. Their work has appeared in galleries, museums, public art installations, and international exhibitions, challenging assumptions about what crochet can be and where it belongs.

In this article, I'll introduce you to crochet artists whose work has been exhibited in galleries and museums around the world. We can all think of crochet as an art form, a craft, or something in between, but what I love about these artists, is that they offer an inspiring glimpse into the creative possibilities of yarn.

For this article, I looked for artists who use crochet as a primary medium and whose work has been exhibited publicly, whether in galleries, museums, art fairs, textile exhibitions, or large-scale installations.

If you know of any other artists who would fit in this roundup, please do let me know in the comments below so I can add them.

Crochet in the Contemporary Art World

Mulyana

Indonesian artist Mulyana transforms crochet into vibrant underwater worlds filled with colorful sea creatures, coral formations, and imaginative marine landscapes. A former graphic designer, he began using crochet as his primary artistic medium after discovering its flexibility and expressive potential. His large-scale installations, collectively known as Mogus, have been exhibited in galleries, museums, and international art events, inviting viewers into playful yet thought-provoking environments inspired by ocean ecosystems. Through his work, Mulyana demonstrates how crochet can move beyond traditional craft and become a powerful medium for contemporary artistic expression.

Olek

Born in Poland and based in New York, Olek is one of the most widely recognized crochet artists in the contemporary art world. Known for covering everything from bicycles and buildings to sculptures and entire rooms in brightly colored crochet, Olek uses yarn to transform familiar objects and spaces into striking works of art. Their large-scale installations have been exhibited in galleries, museums, and public spaces around the world, often exploring themes of identity, community, equality, and social change. Olek's work demonstrates how crochet can be used not only as a craft technique but also as a powerful tool for artistic expression and storytelling.

Joana Vasconcelos

Portuguese artist Joana Vasconcelos is known for transforming traditional craft techniques such as crochet, embroidery and lace into large-scale contemporary artworks. Her celebrated Bestiary series features ceramic animals covered in intricate crochet produced in collaboration with artisans from Pico Island, in the Azores. She creates a striking dialogue between the domestic and the wild, tradition and modernity. Exhibited in major museums and international art fairs around the world, her work demonstrates how crochet can function as both a decorative technique and a powerful artistic language.

I was fortunate enough to see her work at Art Cologne in Palma de Mallorca in April 2026. You can see a photo I took of her work in the featured image of this post.

Toshiko Horiuchi MacAdam

Japanese-Canadian artist Toshiko Horiuchi MacAdam is known for transforming crochet into large-scale interactive environments. Trained as a textile artist, she creates colorful crocheted structures that visitors can climb, explore, and experience firsthand. Her work blurs the boundaries between art, architecture, and play, demonstrating how crochet can be used to create immersive spaces rather than traditional decorative objects. Her installations have been exhibited internationally and continue to inspire artists and fiber enthusiasts alike.

Shauna Richardson

British artist Shauna Richardson is best known for her extraordinary "Crochetdermy" sculptures, which combine crochet with traditional taxidermy techniques. Her life-sized crocheted animals showcase an impressive level of detail and craftsmanship, pushing crochet into the realm of contemporary sculpture. Through her work, Richardson challenges viewers to reconsider the artistic possibilities of yarn while demonstrating the structural and sculptural potential of crochet.

Artists Creating Sculptural Crochet

Mike Donohue

Canadian artist Mike Donohue creates intricate freeform crochet sculptures inspired by marine life, fantasy creatures, and the natural world. His work combines traditional crochet techniques with imaginative forms, resulting in pieces that feel both organic and otherworldly. Through careful shaping, texture, and color, Donohue transforms yarn into complex sculptural artworks that blur the line between craft and fine art.

Melissa Webb

American artist Melissa Webb uses crochet to create highly detailed sculptural works inspired by nature, anatomy, and organic forms. Her pieces often explore themes of growth, transformation, and interconnectedness, showcasing crochet's ability to convey movement and complexity. By combining traditional handcraft with contemporary artistic concepts, Webb demonstrates how crochet can function as a powerful medium for creative expression.

Shiying Dong

Artist and mathematician Shiying Dong explores the fascinating intersection of mathematics and crochet. Using crochet as a tool for visualizing complex geometric and mathematical concepts, she creates intricate forms that reveal patterns and structures often difficult to imagine in two dimensions. Her work highlights crochet's unique ability to translate abstract ideas into tangible, three-dimensional artworks that are both educational and visually captivating.

Pushing the Boundaries of Freeform Crochet

Prudence Mapstone

Australian fiber artist Prudence Mapstone is widely regarded as a pioneer of freeform crochet. Rather than following traditional patterns, she creates richly textured compositions built from spontaneous shapes, colors, and stitch combinations. Her wearable art and textile pieces have been exhibited internationally and have inspired countless crocheters to explore a more intuitive and artistic approach to the craft.

Katika

Russian artist Katika approaches crochet much like a painter approaches a canvas. Through carefully planned color transitions, texture, and composition, she creates crochet artworks that resemble paintings while retaining the dimensional qualities of fiber. Her innovative work challenges traditional expectations of crochet and demonstrates the medium's remarkable versatility as a form of visual art.

José Dammers

Dutch artist José Dammers creates vibrant freeform crochet pieces inspired by nature, emotion, and personal expression. Her work embraces color, texture, and organic movement, resulting in compositions that feel dynamic and spontaneous. Through her artistic approach to crochet, Dammers encourages viewers to see yarn not simply as a crafting material but as a medium capable of conveying creativity and individuality.

Rhianne Evans

Contemporary fiber artist Rhianne Evans combines crochet, embroidery, and mixed-media techniques to create highly expressive textile artworks. Inspired by the natural world, fantasy, and storytelling, her work often features intricate details and imaginative forms. By blending traditional fiber techniques with a distinctly artistic vision, Evans continues to push the boundaries of what crochet can become.

Evans generously teaches her crochet techniques on her YouTube Channel Rhiartsy. I followed one of her tutorials to create my first ever crochet portrait! It's an 8-Part Series where she shows you stitch-by-stitch her exact process. I learned so much! Here's my version of her portrait... a bit wonky, but was really worth the learning curve!

Final Thoughts

Researching this article reminded me just how diverse the world of crochet art really is. From immersive installations and museum exhibitions to freeform textile pieces and mathematical sculptures, these artists demonstrate that crochet can be used in ways far beyond the blankets, garments, and amigurumi most of us associate with the craft.

As someone who has spent years visiting galleries, museums, and international art fairs, I was surprised by how few crochet artists I had encountered in the contemporary art world. Yet the more I searched, the more examples I discovered of artists using yarn as a powerful medium for creativity, storytelling, and self-expression.

This list is far from complete. In fact, I suspect it will continue to grow as I discover new artists, exhibitions, and crochet-inspired artworks from around the world.

Have a favorite crochet artist that deserves to be included? I'd love to hear about them. Leave a comment below and help me expand this collection of artists who are pushing the boundaries of what crochet can be.