Description

 

Artists: 6 textile artists (weavers), 2 jacquard weavers, 1 graphic artist/designer
Medium: 5 individual textile works and 2 graphic representations
Dimensions (H x W): Each textile work measures 8 by 4 feet. The rug measures 31 by 15 feet.

 

Weaving Cultural Identities is a multipart project by the Vancouver Biennale that brings together Indigenous and Islamic communities in a collaborative exploration of weaving traditions and histories, thereby unpacking uneasy issues of belonging, displacement, diaspora, the land, and identity. Through collective “making” and dialogue, Weaving Cultural Identities has lent a platform and safe space for these uneasy conversations, whilst also providing an opportunity for learning about the “other.”  The project is a visual manifest of prominent, national dialogues surrounding the reconciliation of heritage, and the sharing and celebration of cultural knowledge, symbolism, and self-identification through textile traditions. As a direct result of conversations arising from the recent and internationally talked about 2018-2020 installation, Paradise Has Many Gates by Ajlan Gharem, the Vancouver Biennale developed a special exhibition addressing the topic of belonging within a multicultural society.

Over several months, multicultural, creative members of the community engaged with both Islamic and First Nations groups through a month-long series of workshops. Drawing inspiration from prayer rugs and other woven and textile traditions, the participants began the creative process of unpacking their own experiences and histories to create a series of woven works and narratives aimed at celebrating the historical and sacred significance of textile arts and Indigenous and migrant experiences. The products of these collaborations resulted in ten unique narratives and small-scale textile pieces including Coast Salish weaving, Eastern-Canada rug hooking, Qalamkar (Iranian printmaking), digitally operated jacquard weaving, and more. These diverse works were displayed at the Museum of Vancouver in September 2018, along with a video of the artists reflecting on their experience.

As an extension of the first phase of Weaving Cultural Identities, Threads Through Time invited six renowned Musqueam and Squamish weavers to engage in conversations on ways in which land has been colonized, shared, and demarcated. Through these reflections, the weavers created five individual, unique panels, each measuring 8 by 4 feet and each channeling the weavers’ experience of the land and the voices of their ancestors. Inspired by this dialogue and honoring these experiences, a multiethnic team of jacquard weavers and a designer worked to create a large border to hold these panels together. The result was a 31-by-15-foot rug, a potent symbol and product of this inter-community exchange.

A section of this border extends the weavers’ acknowledgment and respect to Muslim migrant experiences, through the following poem:

 

They were exiled from their mosques

And in their mosques martyred

So in the expanse of their exile and martyrdom

They built a mosque

 

By Efemeral (Poet)

 

This poem directly references Ajlan Gharem’s Paradise Has Many Gates, which the Vancouver Biennale installed in Sen̓áḵw – Vanier Park (Vancouver) in 2018 and which greatly inspired Weaving Cultural Identities. The 31-by-15-foot Threads Through Time rug was unveiled inside Paradise Has Many Gates at the Vancouver Biennale’s community potluck gathering held on June 27, 2019 (Multiculturalism Day).

 

Featured Textile Artists

Weavers:

Debra Sparrow

Chief Janice George

Buddy Joseph

Angela George

Krista Point

Robyn Sparrow

 

Jacquard Weavers:

Ruth Scheuing

Mary Lou Trinkwon

 

Featured Graphic Artists

Doaa Jamal, Graphic Artist

 

Special thanks to

Dr. Peter Jacobs, Tracy Williams, Jill Campbell

 

Curated By:

Zarina Laalo

 

Poet:

Efemeral

 

Filmmaker:

Sahand Mohajer

 

Stitching volunteers:

Zoey, Mima, Wei, Laura, Kotomi, Fariba, Zara, Chelsea, Anthea, Eleanor, Trish, Anahita, Laurie, Maliv, Darlene, Ada, JJ

 

Drummers:

Gabriel George

Nick George

Damian George jr

SwoWo Gabriel

Denzel Baker

Alec Dan

 

Our Muslim friends:

Aslam Bulbulia

Muhammad Asadullah

Rahat Kurd

Itrath Syed

Dr. Amal Ghazal (and her 12 students)

Maged Senbel

Sarah Munawar

Mustaali Raj

Lina Abouzaid

Shabnam

Nadia

 

Sponsors and Partners

 

Artist Interviews

Catalogue

Buy the exhibition catalogue for $20 + taxes and $5 shipping

 

Exhibition Inquiries

If your organization is interested in hosting this exhibition, please contact us at [email protected].