How many hands did it take to make this show? That is to say, how many artisans, craftspeople, weavers and artists’ hands did these pieces pass through? For this is a textile exhibition that doesn’t just celebrate a short list of singular artists, but rather the many highly skilled craftspeople and communities repeating the stitches and specialities of their ancestors. Take Entangled Memories, Interwoven Stories by Péro for example: it was made by 50 artisans and took 18,000 hours to complete. And that’s one piece, in an exhibition that spans three galleries.
These many hands and hours make Entangled and Woven an exquisitely beautiful exhibition. Every slip of fabric is layered with delicate detail and texture. Fabrics are airy and ethereal one moment, and weighty and dipped in deep indigo the next. It is hot, the fabrics sway and flicker in the fans, and hands flicker quickly in the video works capturing the creation of the pieces. I am mesmerised.
