Weaves Of The World: Celebrating Beauty And Diversity Of Textiles From All Over The Globe

Wellington, New Zealand, September 17, 2024 – A captivating exhibition, Weaves Of the World, is set to open its doors on October 2, 2024, at the New Zealand Academy of Fine Arts. This extraordinary showcase celebrates the beauty and diversity of textiles from around the globe, highlighting their rich cultural significance and the stories they weave.

“The exhibition builds on our sold-out talks on textiles through Friends of Te Papa and our first textile exhibition in late 2022, which saw 350 visitors over five days. These events have fostered a dedicated audience and a deep appreciation for the cultural richness embodied in textiles,” says Wellington couple Shani Pillai and Joji Jacob, who have personally funded and curated the exhibition.

The exhibition will run from Wednesday, 2 October, to Sunday, 13 October, at the New Zealand Academy of Fine Arts. Entry is by koha. This exhibition highlights both the unique characteristics and common threads among various multicultural communities in New Zealand.

Throughout history, textiles and accessories have uniquely expressed identity, communicated stories, and reflected centuries-old traditions, values, and beliefs. Standing at the intersection between cultures, textiles bring us together through their beauty and vibrancy and enable us to celebrate diversity.

“We want to bring people together through an appreciation of how connected we really are through the threads which weaved the world. Our passion is to show how textiles have connected the world throughout history and how geography influenced the colours and designs”, Ms Pillai says.

“The curation of this exhibition draws from our extensive private textile collections, complemented by gifted and loaned items from fellow textile collectors during their intrepid travels around the world.

Among the notable acquisitions are a few pieces from the esteemed collection of the late Valerie Carson, a well-known and admired New Zealand textile curator known for her work at Te Papa.”

What gave you the idea for this exhibition?

We have become acutely aware of how cultures are vanishing and generational arts and crafts are dying off at a fast pace all over the world. We have also noticed an increase in the diversity in Wellington. We looked at Statistics NZ’s ethnic diversity analytics and were amazed. We decided to celebrate this diversity through textiles to bring communities together and appreciate the uniqueness and the common threads between us.

What do you hope visitors take away from the exhibition?

We would love people to appreciate & understand their heritage and to conserve & preserve their family’s heirlooms & pass them on to the next generation. Every piece of handmade heritage textile or artefact holds the hopes, dreams, and aspirations of one or more artisans. Support the remaining generational artisans and help to preserve these for future generations.

Key features of the exhibition include:

• A rich display of cultural and heritage attires, textiles and accessories from New Zealand (Māori and European), Pacifica, Japan, Korea, China, South East Asia, Tibet, Bhutan, India, Pakistan, Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, Middle East, Africa, Europe, Latin America, the Americas, Canada and many more.
• A wide array of wedding and traditional costumes, embroideries, quilts, applique, rugs, kilims, exotic ikats, batik, indigo-dyed fabrics, tribal wear, ethnic hats, and many more treasures from all corners of the world.

Weaves Of the World is more than an exhibition; it is a journey through the vibrant and diverse world of textiles that helps us appreciate the richness of multicultural communities in Aotearoa, New Zealand and beyond.

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