Nicola L review – feminist fun for the furry-curious
Hettie Judah, The Guardian
November 2024
According to Wikipedia, the slanket – a wearable blanket with sleeves – was invented in 1998 by an American called Gary Clegg. Congratulations, Gary, but as regards this indispensable contribution to human comfort, Nicola L could rightfully claim to have got there first. The French artist, born Nicola Leuthe, had a cosy line in wearable artworks, known as pénétrables. Most are large, coloured canvases, hung on the wall with shaped sections into which you can insert your face, arms and legs. Others are rather cosier. Currently taking up substantial acreage at Camden Art Centre in London is the soft and fluffy Grey Rug for Five People (1975), essentially a family-size slanket.