RACE*SEX*POLITICS*RELIGION 2012
Riis attempts to push the tapestry genre, as he investigates issues of identity, life, and the human condition. He is also interested in the notions of beauty using myths and historic textiles as points of departure. In many of his tapestry works, he utilizes precious materials such as metallic and silk thread, often with added embellishments of freshwater pearls, crystal, and coral beads. This work is based on Japanese Kimono in a layered style using shunga, early Japanese erotic art, as its inspiration.
Since 1976, Riis has dealt in Asian textiles with an emphasis on Chinese textiles, specifically those associated with past emperors, courtiers, and officials of the Chinese Court during the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). He has a selection of formal, semiformal, and semiformal domestic robes in the brocade, kesi, and embroidered techniques. Additional Chinese collections include: rank badges, shoes, costume accessories, hats, and furnishing textiles such as hangings, cushions, and chair panels. Other Asian textile collections are from Japan, Korea, Tibet, and Bhutan. Examples from his collections can be found in the Cleveland Museum of Art, the Asian Art Museum, and the de Young Museum in San Francisco, and the Indianapolis Museum of Art.