KTAA holds 18th textile exhibition

KUWAIT: Textile art is part of an ancient tradition inherited by generations in Kuwait, alongside the sadu industry. From the past eight years, the Kuwait Textile Arts Association (KTAA) has been guarding this craft under the umbrella of the Sadu House. Recently, the association held their 18th annual textile exhibition under the patronage and presence of Sheikha Altaf Al-Sabah, the honorary president of Sadu House.

“This organization aims to emphasize the advancement of cultural exchange regarding the textile heritage in order to build up and energize our textile community,” Sheikha Altaf said. “I am real happy and proud to see the growth of the KTAA under the Sadu House’s support.” Mariam Moussa, a textile artisan, expressed her appreciation for participating in this exhibition. “I am from Yemen, and have been living in Kuwait since 1963,” she said. “After my children grew up and winged away from our nest, I started to occupy my free time with a hobby. My work is not for sale; I am saving it for my grandchildren. The exhibited work represents women selling bread in Sanaa.” The textile works were characterized by smart and vivid colors, as well as bold and harmoniously intertwined strings. They are varied in content and concepts. Some of them represented nature and heritage, while others showed geometrical shapes.

However, in a unique piece of art, Haifa AlAbdul Mughni presented a monotone, pixelated portrait of her father using scraps of different shades of a gray of an Arab garment (dishdasha). In the setting, there are thirty squares with a different pattern on each one of them. “This work has been recently selected among 80 textile creations from around the world, and from more than a thousand participants during a prestigious annual contest,” said Haifa.

All winning participants were observed at the end of the opening ceremony. Sheikha Altaf gave a special recognition and praised the effort of Leann Abdul Raheem, the inaugural member of the association who joined in 1995. The textile exhibition will carry on until today. It is held at Ahmad Aladwani Hall in Dahiat Abdullah Al-Salem.

— Photos by Athoob Al-Shuaibi KUWAIT: Sheikha Altaf Al-Sabah (left) and Leann Abdulraheem at the Kuwait Textile Arts Association’s annual exhibition in Dahiat Abdullah Al-Salem.

Woven recreation of an old Kuwaiti flag.

A visitor looks at the ‘Weaving Stories’ exhibition. Textile artists from Kuwait and the United States collaborated to create the unique artwork, featuring various aspects of Kuwait’s heritage, environment and history. Organized by the Sadu House.

Haifa Abdul Mughni in front of her award winning textile artwork, a quilt she created to honor her father.

The quilted pixelated portrait of Abdulrahman, the father of Haifa Abdul Mughni.

Textile artist Mariam Moussa (right) and her daughter in front of her textile artwork.