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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)
Post MagazineArts & Music

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

Art
Aaina Bhargava
Aaina Bhargava
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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.

Hongkonger Samson Young gives a contemporary interpretation of Chinese folklore myth The Eight Immortals, drawing on all facets of Chinese story­telling, from opera to pop culture. Titled The Immortals (2020), his video is set in the midst of a large neon installation fitted with various fabrics and items of clothing. The resemblance to a Lennon Wall – the mosaics of slogans created by protesters in Hong Kong and elsewhere – whether intentional or not, feels poignant.

South Korean artist Ham Kyungah makes a vivid statement with her deceptively intricate tapestries, often constructed in collaboration with North Korean craftsmen, while Filipino artist David Medalla’s poetic A Stitch in Time invites visitors to interact with the artwork by stitching their own mark into a large blank canvas.

The venue too is symbolic. Previously a cotton-spinning factory, The Mills reflects Hong Kong’s rich textiles past.

“This exhibition is not intended to reflect or draw on the history of The Mills, but we invite visitors to imagine how Hong Kong textile workers in the past worked hard to build the cornerstone of today’s Hong Kong,” says Takahashi.

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