14 Jun 2019 - 15 Sep 2019
Exhibition: Batiks and Embroideries of Ethnic Minorities from South China
Between 14 June and 15 September 2019, the Asia and Pacific Museum in Warsaw, Poland, an ASEMUS member, presents an exhibition entitled "Hand-Made in China. Batiks and Embroideries of Ethnic Minorities from South China from the Ms. Li Lei Collection". The exhibition has been curated by Ewa Soszko-Dziwisińska.
Contents and background
Southern provinces of China are famous for the picturesque mountain landscapes and also for the fact that they are inhabited by ethnic minority groups such as the Miao, Dong or Bai. In the cultures of these highlander communities, varied and decorative costumes played, and sometimes still play, an important role, although – as everywhere – they were progressively left behind by industrially produced clothing. Traditional forms of clothing served to indicate the ethnicity of the person wearing them, their place in the community, material status, and emphasised the ceremonial character of the situation. Ms. Li Lei, a collector from Yunnan, has for years been collecting embroideries, appliqué and batiks, created by women from mountain villages.
This new exhibition at the Asia and Pacific Museum in Warsaw presents the costumes and their fragments, embroidered with amazing precision, as well as microscopic photos, that will allow visitors to fully appreciate traditional techniques and the heritage of these groups. Visitors will also be able to try simple embroidery and weaving techniques themselves.