What fabric can teach us about a society’s economy, geography, resources and gender roles

Samson Young is one of seven contemporary artists whose fabric-based creations are aimed at sparking debate through an exhibition at the Centre for Heritage, Arts and Textiles

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Filipino artist David Medalla’s A Stitch in Time. Photo: courtesy of David Medalla / CHAT (Centre for Heritage, Arts and Textile)

Aaina Bhargava

Published: 3:30pm, 7 Jun 2020Updated: 10:05am, 18 Jun 2020

Cloth can reveal much about a culture, offering insights into its people and their lifestyle. While most traditional textiles have been lost to mass production, an ongoing exhibition, “Unconstrained Textiles: Stitching Methods, Crossing Ideas”, provides modern and creative twists on fabric.

The sensory-rich show, which runs until July 26 at the Centre for Heritage, Arts and Textile (CHAT), in The Mills in Tsuen Wan, presents alternative perspectives on textiles through the eyes of seven contemporary artists, some of whom weave political commentary into their works.

Curated by CHAT executive director and chief curator Mizuki Takahashi, the exhibition “highlights the alchemistic power of artists when they address textile subject matters”.

“Textiles pertain to the economy, geography, regional traditions, resources and gender roles in society,” says Takahashi. “By focusing on textiles, I also expect each artwork in the exhibition to stimulate the debate of these topics.”

Hong Kong artist Samson Young. Photo: courtesy of CHAT (Centre for Heritage, Arts and Textile)

Upon entrance, The Spinning Wheel (2018), a work by Thai artist Kawita Vatanajyankur, grabs the viewer’s attention with a brightly animated video of her caught up in a repetitive web of thread, a statement about the textile industry’s labour conditions and the role of women in society.