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Curated by Rochelle Kessler
For millennia, nomads have wandered across the steppes and oases of Central Asia in search of pasture for their herds and traveled along the famed trading route, the “Silk Road,” which stretched from China to the Mediterranean. Bold Abstractions: Textiles from Central Asia & Iran presents mementos of this nomadic culture in a dazzling display of mid-nineteenth to mid-twentieth-century traditional garments, personal adornment, and domestic accessories. A feast for the eyes, this exhibition includes brilliantly-hued Uzbek ikat-dyed robes and exquisitely embroidered Turkmen mantles. Boldly conceived Kyrgyz felted tent trappings contrasted in texture and technique with smaller-scale Persian masterpieces in the form of woven pile carpets that once faced animal pack bags. Silver-gilt, nielloed, and gem-inlaid ornaments in their original context were beautiful signifiers of gender, age, and clan identity. Throughout the exhibition visitors can delight in bold designs in the form of highly stylized animal, vegetal, and cosmological symbols. With origins in some ancient, unwritten compendium, these motifs allude to abundance and well-being, basic desires of all peoples past and present.
This exhibition originated at Mingei International Museum, San Diego Ca.
Read the Bold Abstractions press release, HERE.
Curated by Robert M. Place
While known today primarily as a fortune telling or occult deck, the Tarot was born out of the intellectual and artistic developments of the Italian Renaissance. Links to the Tarot’s icons and symbology can be found in the popular arts and philosophy of this rich historic period. Influenced by alchemy, Hermetic mysticism and the concept of Anima Mundi (the fifth element of life), the Tarot became a conversation between mystics and artists that has lasted over five centuries. This exhibition will illuminate the 22 cards of the Tarot’s major arcana, from the Fool to the World, presenting historic examples from early decks and relating them to other works of art from that era. It will continue with historic examples of the French deck known as The Tarot of Marseilles and early occult decks that bloomed from this tradition. Popular twentieth century decks including the Waite-Smith Tarot, and works of art by modern Tarot artists will be featured to provide a deeper understanding of the Tarot’s artistic legacy and message of mystical transformation.
Read the Fool's Journey press release, HERE. |
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Symbols and Cultural Collages Family Workshop
Saturday | January 30
1:30 pm - 3:30 pm
Personal Tarot: A Linoleum Printing Workshop
Tuesdays | February 16 - March 2
7 pm - 9:30 pm
Curator's Lecture for Bold Abstractions
Sunday | February 21
3 pm
Friendship Bracelets with a new TWIST Family Workshop
Saturday | February 27
1:30 pm - 3:30 pm
Handbags: Central Asian Style
Sunday | February 28
1 pm - 4 pm
An Introduction to the Tarot Workshop
Sunday | March 21
1 pm - 5 pm
Style and Identity, People or Place: The Case for Lakai Suzanis
Saturday | April 17
2 pm
Program sponsored by the Textile Museum Associates of Southern California, Inc.
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Bold Abstractions: Textiles from Central Asia & Iran 
Press Room