Dr Siobhan Campbell, Curator of ‘Encounter with Bali: a collectors journey’, the current exhibition at Mosman Art Gallery, will be giving a curator’s talk on the background of Indonesian textiles on Sunday June 29 at 2.30pm.
‘Encounter with Bali: a collectors journey’ introduces viewers to Indonesia’s rich and diverse textile traditions. The textiles selected for this exhibition reflect the varied ethnic, linguistic, and religious groups inhabiting the Indonesian archipelago. With more than three hundred ethnic groups, Indonesian weavers and other skilled craftspeople employ many of the world’s known techniques of textile production including supplementary thread-weaving, pattern and resist dyeing, embroidery, appliqué, batik and pigment painting.
Want to know more about this fascinating textile tradition? Join Dr. Siobhan Campbell, who has developed specialist knowledge of the art and culture of Indonesia and Bali over many years of intense and sustained engagement with this region.
Siobhan’s doctorate research was closely associated with the Australian Museum, which houses one of the most significant collections of Balinese paintings from the village of Kamasan – the ‘Forge’ Collection. In 2013 Siobhan was awarded a six-month fellowship to conduct further research on the collections of Balinese art and textiles at the International Institute for Asian Studies in Leiden, the Netherlands. She has done extensive fieldwork in the Islands of Bali and Java and has personally worked with textile producers. Drawing on this knowledge, Dr Campbell introduces visitors to Indonesia’s rich and diverse textile traditions while discussing the wide range of cultures and island groups represented in this exhibition. Providing a scholarly guide to Indonesian material culture, Dr Campbell explains how visual archives can offer a range of historical insights to these rare and beautiful textiles – how they were made and worn.
Encounter with Bali: a collectors journey
Mosman Art Gallery
Until 13 July, 2014
Sydney
Shrine hanging (lamak) – Bali – detail, mid-20th century; cotton cloth, silk, metallic thread, cotton thread, sequins, glass beads; appliqué, supplementary weft weaving; 120 x 21cm
