About this object'A Marriage' is a textile piece that reimagines a family archive photograph of her Great Grandmother and Great Grandfather. Through stitched text and layered imagery, Kerr interrogates the romanticised aura of sepia-toned photographs, aiming to uncover the complex, often untold realities behind them.
The narrative woven into the piece was passed down by Kerr’s mother and written by Kerr herself, acknowledging its potential mythic nature. It tells of an unhappy marriage: though never formally separated, the couple lived apart, he remained in Germany while she resided in London and later on the Wirral, where Kerr was raised. Rumours of another woman, referenced in the artwork’s text, add further nuance to the story.
Kerr’s Great Grandfather, also an artist, features in other works, forming part of her ongoing exploration of family, memory, and identity. A Marriage stands as both a personal and critical reflection on inherited histories and the stories stitched into the fabric of our lives.
MakerKerr, Natasha (born 1968)
Maker Roleartist
Date Made1996
Period20th century
Medium and MaterialsPhotography and fabric
Style and IconographyPortrait
Inscription and MarksIn pencil along bottom: "A Marriage Natasha Kerr 96"
Techniquemixed media
Measurementsheight: 61cm
width: 48cm
frame height: 74.5cm
frame width: 62.5cm
Subject and Association Keywordsmarriage
Credit LinePresented by the Contemporary Arts Society, 2000
