Andrea Brewster: Draft @ Mercury 20 Gallery

Andrea Brewster’s new body of work, Draft, begins with the fundamental structure of weaving: warp and weft, whose interlacing creates both fabric and an underlying grid. She approaches the grid not as a rigid system, but as a living structure capable of variation, interruption, rhythm, and ambiguity. The work draws from weaving drafts, diagrams that function as instructions for generating complex patterns, resembling a form of pre-digital code. The term “draft” also refers to an initial idea or work in progress, connecting structure with imagination and instruction with image.This connection between weaving and digital systems is central to Brewster’s thinking. Although digitally constructed, these pieces retain the appearance of hand-drawn marks, creating a tension between material and virtual, order and improvisation. Through line, color, repetition, and interruption, Brewster explores the relationship between visible patterns and the structures beneath them.