The Red Dress created by Kirstie Macleod

A major international arts project will make its long-awaited Australian debut in 2026, with the globally acclaimed The Red Dress set to be displayed exclusively at two Queensland venues. Warwick Art Gallery will premiere The Red Dress for one week only before it moves the the Museum of Brisbane.

The Red Dress is a 14-year, award-winning global embroidery project that has connected communities across continents. Conceived by British artist Kirstie Macleod in 2009, the project provides an artistic platform for individuals — particularly women and those living in vulnerable circumstances — to share their stories through stitch.

Constructed from 87 panels of burgundy silk dupion, The Red Dress has been embroidered by 380 contributors — including 367 women and girls, 11 men and boys, and two non-binary artists — from 51 countries.

Each stitch tells a story: panels worked by refugees from Ukraine and Syria, artists from rural Africa, and community stitch groups in Australia speak to global and local experiences of displacement, identity and reconciliation. It is a rare work where craft becomes narrative, and garment becomes voice.

The project's ethical framework has also drawn attention. Rather than rely on unpaid contributions, The Red Dress ensured that all commissioned embroiderers were compensated, a model that foregrounds dignity and economic participation in a craft sector historically undervalued.