Calendar
Textiles in Resistance
'Textiles in Resistance: The power of fabrics without slogans' gave a voice and a face to the often silent resistance of people around the world who are fighting for the survival of their families, communities and the social cohesion of their familiar daily reality. Curators Mashid Mohadjerin and Samira Bendadi used words and images to show the pain and sorrow of this struggle, but also the incredible resilience, creativity and sense of initiative of people in displaced and traumatising situations.
Using textiles as a starting point, the curators sought out new stories that closely relate to important themes in their own work: activism, the role of women in resistance, migration and displacement, cultural and social alienation, and the search for cultural identity. They approach the major contemporary issues of migration and cultural identity through individual and personal testimonies that transcend religious, cultural and national boundaries. Their search began in Antwerp, but the stories they tell take us to other parts of the world, to Paris and Beirut, Aleppo and Kabul. Textiles are literally and figuratively the connecting element between individuals, communities and cultures.
In her work, photographer Mashid Mohadjerin explores the boundaries between artistic and documentary photography. She studies migration and identity and has travelled extensively around the world in search of human stories. Her work has been published in the New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Guardian, De Standaard and Le Monde, among others. Samira Bendadi is a journalist specialising in North Africa and the Middle East. She writes about topics such as migration, refugees and diversity. She writes for MO* Magazine and has produced reports and documentaries for VRT, Radio1 and TV-Brussel, among others. For 'Textiles in Resistance', they joined forces to bring the stories behind textiles to life.
In the exhibition, the stories were told through different themes: 'The thread of life', 'Embroidery to remember', 'Africa is coming', 'Afghan roots', 'The miracle', 'Spirituality in white' and 'Farewell'. We see the story of Zena Sabbagh, who herself fled the war in Syria and now opens the doors of her apartment in Beirut as a meeting place for women who want to sew and embroider. We also meet Samira Salah, who works with women in Palestinian refugee camps to preserve Palestinian cultural heritage.
Discover all the stories in the publication Textiles in Resistance, published by Hannibal Books and available in the Texture museum shop.
'Textiles in Resistance' was an initiative of MoMu, ModeMuseum Antwerpen. The exhibition was on display at Texture Kortrijk from 15 November 2019 to 16 February 2020 and also included a public programme with an artist talk, workshops on Mexican weaving and ' ' African wax fabrics, a lecture entitled 'Textiles are everything and nothing' with Lieve Blancquaert, and an educational programme with Open School.
Inspired by the exhibition, FMDO, KRAC, Vormingplus, Medialab Quindo, Texture and photography coach Lieven Lefere joined forces for 'Textiles in connection'. This participatory project brought together 14 photographers and an equal number of Kortrijk residents with a migrant background. A heart-warming journey of discovery into textiles from different corners of the world, and into the stories woven into the fabric, resulted in fascinating portraits and stories.
Relive Textiles in Resistance
