How do artists use fabric to critique cognitive capitalism?

Artists have long employed fabric as a powerful medium to critique cognitive capitalism, weaving socio-economic commentary into their textile-based works. By transforming cloth—a material historically tied to labor and trade—into conceptual art, they expose the exploitative nature of modern knowledge economies. Some stitch corporate logos onto fragile fabrics to symbolize the precarity of gig workers, while others create unraveling tapestries representing data commodification. Performance artists drape themselves in LED-embedded textiles that flicker with stock market data, visualizing the anxiety of financialization. These works subvert fabric's traditional domestic associations, reframing it as a canvas for systemic critique. The tactile nature of textile art forces viewers to physically engage with abstract economic concepts, making invisible power structures tangible. From embroidered protest banners to deconstructed fast-fashion installations, fabric becomes both metaphor and material evidence of capitalism's cognitive contradictions.