TILBURG.- We live in a world where boundaries between countries and people are becoming increasingly blurred, power relations are shifting radically and cultures are mixing. The exhibition Cultural Threads presents exceptional pieces by contemporary artists who use textiles as a powerful tool to address a range of socio-political issues. They link textiles to their own search for identity and belonging in a globalising world. Or they use them to unravel histories and outline new future perspectives. Cultural Threads is on display in the TextielMuseum until 12 May 2019. Featuring work by Eylem Aladogan, Célio Braga, Hana Miletić, Otobong Nkanga, Mary Sibande, Fiona Tan, Jennifer Tee, Aiko Tezuka and Vincent Vulsma.

New collection pieces
The TextielMuseum commissioned four artists to make new work in the TextielLab for the museum collection. The exhibition provides insight into the artists’ research and creative process through films, sketches, samples and sources of inspiration.

Eylem Aladogan immersed herself in the textile industry of the Ottoman Empire. Her interest in the period was motivated by the current political climate in Turkey, where President Erdogan has promoted the glorification of the country’s Ottoman heritage. In her two wall hangings, Aladogan incorporated floral motifs from Ottoman textile art, thereby reflecting on the relationship between the beauty of ornament and political power. At the same time, her work is a reflection of her relationship with her father, who came to the Netherlands from Turkey as a labour migrant. The conversations they had about democracy, freedom and nationalism played an important role in shaping her political consciousness. The wall hangings are tangible testimony to this dialogue between two generations.

Célio Braga’s installation ‘Memory Unsettled’ explores the vulnerability of human existence. Braga often uses traditional techniques such as embroidery, sewing, darning and perforating to depict this vulnerability. For this piece, he collected fabrics from around the world: from the Netherlands and France to Portugal, Indonesia and Brazil. ‘Memory Unsettled’ connects personal memories, symbolism and rituals from different cultures and periods to represent the emotional reality of life, death, transience and love.

Jennifer Tee has spent the last few years researching palepai and tampan textiles from South Sumatra, Indonesia. Tee is fascinated by the cloths, which embody cultural exchange and a long trade history. The textiles are no longer produced. However, examples can be found in several museum collections in the Netherlands, brought back by Dutch colonisers. Tee developed six woven and embroidered wall hangings inspired by these textiles for the TextielMuseum. The motif incorporates a ship that symbolises the journey of life, transition and an unknown future. The motif has particular significance for Tee: her father migrated from Indonesia to the Netherlands.

Vincent Vulsma developed an installation consisting of three series: 'Guinea', 'Return' and 'Voyage'. The works are based on research of the transatlantic slave trade and the role that goods such as textiles and indigo played in this trade. Specifically, Vulsma examines the logistical mechanism behind this trade. Based on the financial accounts of the Middelburg Commerce Company held in the Zeeuws Archive, Vulsma translated information from the logbooks of 18th-century Dutch slave ships into sculptures and woven and laser-cut fabrics.

Alongside the new collection pieces, Cultural Threads features international artists whose work explores similar themes: Hana Miletić, Otobong Nkanga, Aiko Tezuka and Mary Sibande.