The luscious colors and bold patterns of ikat, a textile woven from pre-dyed thread, have earned these fabrics international recognition as the latest trend in fashion and interior design. Visitors to Colors of the Oasis: Central Asian Ikats, opening at The Textile Museum on October 16, 2010, will discover why the craft of ikat has been considered a cultural treasure in Uzbekistan for over two centuries. The exhibition will showcase a selection of 19th-century ikat garments and textiles from the Museum’s Megalli Collection in engaging, off-the-wall installations that situate ikat production, use and aesthetic significance to Central Asian culture within a socio-historic context. The exhibition also heralds the recent revival of this art form in Uzbekistan after near extinction during the Soviet era, coinciding with the global popularity of this aesthetic through popular design houses such as Oscar de la Renta, J. Crew, and Pottery Barn. The more than 60 garments and other textiles in the exhibition have never been exhibited before. The exhibition will be accompanied by a full-color comprehensive book, published by The Textile Museum, which will present new scholarship and illustrate the collection in its entirety.
- Robe
Central Asia, Uzbekistan, Bukhara
1870s-1880s
The Textile Museum 2005.36.30
The Megalli Collection
About the Exhibition
Unlike a majority of textiles that are woven with solid-colored thread or are printed or dyed after weaving, ikat is produced using the reverse process. Individual threads are first dyed with several colors that, when woven together, produce the energetic patterns unique to this textile tradition. Successful application of this complex technique requires extensive forethought and teamwork between various craftsmen and the designer. For this reason, ikat has been celebrated in Central Asia as one of the region’s great arts. In the 19th century, when costume indicated an individual’s social rank, wealth, domestic role, tribal affiliation and geographic origin, ikat was considered the most prestigious material to wear. Alarmingly, however, this art form was nearly lost during the Soviet era.
Oscar De La Renta Spring 2005. Photographer Fernanda Calfat. 51299358 (RM) Getty Images.
Fortunately, 19 years after the dissolution of the Soviet Union, Uzbekistan’s ikat industry is currently under renewal by artists using the traditional technique. Ikat continues to gain international recognition with recent trends in fashion and home décor motivated by designers who are inspired by the textile’s bold motifs.
Robe, Central Asia, Uzbekistan, Bukhara, Late 19th to early 20th century, The Textile Museum 2005.36.31, The Megalli Collection
With an appreciation for the textile’s increasing global popularity, Colors of the Oasis will trace the historic development of ikat production and its contemporary revival. The pieces featured in the exhibition were selected from The Textile Museum’s Megalli collection, a diverse array of 19th-century ikat robes, pants, dresses, bohce (wrapping cloth), hangings, fragments and cradle covers donated to the institution by collector Murad Megalli in 2005 and 2009. The exhibition is divided into three sections that guide the visitor through ikat design and artistic principles, the stories of the people who used them and how, and the technical aspect of ikat making and the people involved in this craft. Innovative off-the-wall installations, including a setting inspired by a 19th-century Uzbek interior, life-like displays using dress forms and historic photographs, situate the collection within a socio-historic context and encourage the visitor to appreciate the textile’s versatility and significance to Central Asian culture. Models demonstrating the dyeing process constructed by MICA (Maryland Institute College of Art) students provide insight into how these fabrics are made. Colors of the Oasis: Central Asian Ikats is curated by Sumru Belger Krody, Curator of Eastern Hemisphere Collections at The Textile Museum.
The accompanying book, Colors of the Oasis: Central Asian Ikats, will be the first significant publication on Central Asian ikats produced in the U.S. in over a decade. The book, edited by Krody, will introduce the latest research on ikat aesthetics and costume history with a concise narrative of ikat production in Central Asia by contributing authors Feza Çakmut, Mary M. Dusenbury, Kate Fitz Gibbon, Andrew Hale, Sumru Belger Krody, Sayera Makhkamova and Susan Meller. The book is beautifully illustrated with high quality images and historic prints, including a detailed catalog of the entire 160-piece Megalli Collection.
Related Programs
The Textile Museum plans to inaugurate Colors of the Oasis with a weekend symposium, Tying the Rainbow: Reexamining Central Asian Ikats from Friday, October 15 – Sunday, October 17. The distinct collection will be unveiled with an evening reception for Textile Museum members on October 15. A day-long lecture series on October 16 will include presentations on ikat’s production history, socio-cultural importance in Central Asia and the textile’s influence on contemporary global fashion. Speakers will include Dr. Anne Bissonnette, Associate Professor and Curator of the Clothing and Textiles Collection at the University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada; Mary M. Dusenbury, Research Curator at the Spencer Museum of Art, Lawrence, Kansas; Andrew Hale, scholar and Colors of the Oasis catalog contributor, Santa Fe, New Mexico; Dr. Jeff Sahadeo, Director of the Institute of European, Russian and Eurasian Studies at Carleton University, Ottawa, Canada; Dr. Elena Tsareva, Head of Textile Research at the Kunstkamera Museum in St. Petersburg, Russia; and Philippa Watkins, Senior Tutor in Constructed Textiles at the Royal College of Art, London, UK. The symposium will conclude on October 17 with a curator’s tour of the exhibition and a show-and-tell of Central Asian ikats from registrants’ collections. For more details or to register, visit www.textilemuseum.org/symposium.htm or call (202) 667-0441, ext. 64.
While Colors of the Oasis is on view, The Textile Museum will also host a number of exhibition-related events, including demonstrations, interactive family programs, performances, gallery talks, lectures and the popular after-hours “PM @ The TM” series. For updates or more information on Textile Museum programs, visit www.textilemuseum.org or call (202) 667-0441.
About the Curator
Sumru Belger Krody, curator of Eastern Hemisphere Collections at The Textile Museum, is considered the leading authority on Ottoman Turkish and Greek embroidery. She has been with The Textile Museum for over 15 years and has served as head of the Eastern Hemisphere curatorial department since 2001. Krody’s previous exhibitions include Flowers of Silk & Gold: Four Centuries of Ottoman Embroidery (2004-5); Floral Perspectives in Carpet Design (2006); Harpies, Mermaids and Tulips: Embroidery of the Greek Islands and Epirus Region (2006); and Ahead of His Time: The Collecting Vision of George Hewitt Myers (2007-8). Krody has previously authored two exhibition catalogs, Harpies, Mermaids, and Tulips (2006) and Flowers of Silk and Gold: Four Centuries of Ottoman Embroidery (2000). Krody also serves on the board of the Textile Society of America.
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The Textile Museum will hold its 32nd annual Celebration of Textiles on Saturday, June 5, 10 a.m.–4 p.m. and Sunday, June 6, 1-5 p.m. This free festival for all ages, held rain or shine, invites visitors to explore the textile arts and cultures of the world through hands-on activities and artist demonstrations in the museum’s gardens, historic buildings and current exhibitions.
