Altfield Gallery Annex: The Art of Adornment in Asian Textiles

Description

Step into a world where fabric becomes narrative and craft becomes culture. Asian Textiles – The Art of Adornment at the Altfield Gallery Annex gathers a rare collection of antique and vintage textiles from across Asia, many collected in the 1980s when Altfield Gallery Annex first opened its doors. These pieces reveal how communities once wove identity, belief and beauty directly into cloth. Though rooted in centuries-old traditions, these textiles hold a striking modernity.

From the Indonesian island of Sumba come dramatic Hingi cloths – warp-ikat cottons alive with animals, figures and flora. Very different in style are the intricate hand-embroidered textiles of the Miao minority in China, created by young women as part of their dowries. Their baby-carrying cloths shimmer with exquisite detail and bright colours, embodying patience and devotion.

In a neighbouring space, Japanese mastery takes form in kasuri and katazome cottons, luminous brocade obi belts and lavish uchikake wedding kimonos – each one a celebration of wearable art. From Burma, the rhythmic beauty of luntaya tapestry weaving reveals a subtler elegance, once crafted with up to a hundred bobbins of silk. Together, these works transform the gallery into a woven chronicle of Asia’s artistry, memory and spirit.

The exhibition is open Monday to Saturday from 10:00 to 17:00 at Altfield Gallery Annex.