BORO
Poster image Courtesy of Te Manawa.
Image by Sam Millen
Image Courtesy of Te Manawa.
Image by Sam Millen
From the collection of Pip Steel
24 September - 7 December
We are thrilled to present Boro – Timeworn Textiles of Japan, a unique and visually compelling exhibition that showcases the rich history, beauty, and ingenuity of Japanese textile traditions. Exhibited in our gorgeous main gallery.
Art House Trust Gallery Space* Note this exhibition is not part of the Art House Trust collection.
An exhibition of extraordinary quality and subject –
We are thrilled to present Boro – Timeworn Textiles of Japan, a unique and visually compelling exhibition that showcases the rich history, beauty, and ingenuity of Japanese textile traditions. Curated by Pip Steel, the private collector behind this extraordinary body of work, the exhibition features a collection of hand-stitched and layered textiles originally crafted by rural Japanese communities as a means of preserving garments through generations.
“Boro” means “rags” or “tattered cloth” in Japanese, yet these works speak deeply to themes of resilience, sustainability, and creativity in the face of hardship. With their rich textures, patchwork forms, and subtle colour palettes, the textiles cross boundaries between historical artifact and contemporary art.
Following acclaimed showings at Pātaka (Porirua), Te Manawa (Manawatu - Palmerston North), and Aratoi (Masterton)—where it attracted over 1,000 visitors weekly—this exhibition offers a rare opportunity for local audiences to experience a globally significant cultural narrative.
Boro will be shown in the AHT space and will be complemented by public programmes including artist talks and workshops led by Pip Steel. This exhibition promises to captivate both art lovers and cultural historians alike, celebrating craft, endurance, and beauty in the everyday.
Boro is cloth that been repaired, patched and stitched by hand in an ongoing process of improvised mending, using a simple running stitch called sashiko.
There is an old Japanese saying that ‘You can see heaven through the eye of a needle’ - and you have to imagine a woman stitching in the dim lantern-lit evening light of a rural home. An on-going task - stitch-by-stitch, layer-upon-layer, repair-upon-repair - she continues to sew, creating what will become a unique boro piece for a member of her family. There is no electricity, and she has already done a hard day’s physical work.
Times were tough. People were poor, having to be resourceful and make do with very little. The reality was that these factors, combined with the cultural respect for objects determined that the inevitable wear and tear caused through the daily use of household textiles meant frequent repairs were necessary to extend the life of cloth.
We often think of ‘repair and recycling’ as a recent notion, whereas it was practiced in rural Japan as a way of life for centuries. Unlike today, fabric was a resource to be cherished and preserved. Even the smallest scraps were used and reused, OR carefully saved for a future purpose. Boro “resonates care, love and the warmth of humanity” and these household textiles would be passed down through generations of extended families.
Hopefully, in this ‘throw-away’ world we live in today, we can learn from boro and take on its strong message of ‘love and care’ for our relationships and for society as a whole. We should also consider boro’s relevance to our environment with a fresh perspective.
This exhibition stimulates/ generates/ challenges many the many questions and conversations we need to be having today!