Artisan Hands Weave Stories Across Continents

The Entangled and Woven exhibition offers a captivating display of textile art, highlighting the extensive labor of skilled artisans. One piece alone, 'Entangled Memories, Interwoven Stories' by Péro, involved 50 artisans and 18,000 hours of work, setting the tone for an exhibition spanning three galleries. This showcase is also a profound cultural exchange, featuring eight artists and collectives from Korea and India who have created new works following collaborative research trips.

The Whitworth gallery presents historic Indian and Korean textiles, some from the 18th century, alongside contemporary installations. These older pieces serve as historical references, connecting to Manchester's textile production legacy. Notable works include Jounghye Yoo's 'Gilded Veil—A Mysterious Curtain Lightly Draped in Gold,' a collaboration with ajrakh block printing master Dr Ismail Mohammad Khatri and his son Juned Ismail, blending Indian cotton with Korean silk.

Further highlighting connections, artists like Somi Ko and Young In Hong explore traditional Indian mirror work, integrating it with Korean techniques. Young In Hong's 'Sacred Empires' features collaboration with the Kala Raksha collective. The third gallery delves into spiritual themes, with Sumakshi Singh crafting ethereal bridges and Kaimurai visualizing meditation through stepped khadi sheets.

Yeonsoon Chang's work evokes the Buddhist concept of 'the moon reflected on a thousand rivers.' The exhibition culminates with a mythical creature by Boito, a composite of various crafts from Odisha, symbolizing the joyful fusion of cultures evident throughout Entangled and Woven.