June 10, 2015 - May 30, 2017
A Flower From Every Meadow: Design and Innovation in Pakistan’s Dress Traditions
A Flower from Every Meadow built upon previous exhibitions of textiles and dress at the Mohatta Palace Museum, as well as internationally with institutions, such as the Victoria and Albert Museum, London. The exhibition investigated the nature of dress concluding with contemporary innovation within Pakistan.
Sourcing over one hundred and fifty works from private collections, the displays sought to bring new material to a wider audience by drawing attention to Pakistan’s folk textile traditions as well as placing them in a cosmopolitan setting. A unique confluence of cultures, from Central Asia, South Asia and China, whether through migration, trade, exchange or conquest has led to the melding of techniques, styles and patterns in dress; this has allowed each region of Pakistan to evolve its own distinctive traditions. The exhibition was able to harness this diversity. Many of the galleries dovetailed with each other, beginning with Magical Rhythms, a gallery which housed master craftsmen from three important textile disciplines: block printing, tie dyeing and weaving.
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The exhibition brought narratives from a wide swathe of the country, including the Northern Areas across Punjab, Sindh as well as Balochistan. Gilgit Baltistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to showcase items of dress and accessories in embellished cotton, wool and silk.
The links between tradition and contemporary fashion were illuminated with the work of renowned Pakistani design studios such as Khaadi, Maheen Khan, Sonya Battla, Sana Safinaz, Nida Azwer and Bunto Kazmi. These designers have all received critical acclaim for their work and each has a compelling perspective on our indigenous traditions. The exhibition was chosen by the New York Times Arts Section as it's exhibition of the week.
