Articles, reports & dispatches.
Long-form scholarship and short news from the HALI editorial desk — published continuously between the four print quarterlies.
How did kashmiri shawls transform global fashion?
A special exhibition at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, explores the luxurious splendour of Kashmiri shawls and their influence on global fashion and trade. Curator Aimée Froom, alongside Anushka Hosain and Chaeri Lee, guides us through the treasures on display.
Why has the Bayeux Tapestry captured everyone’s attention?
The long-awaited exhibition of the Bayeux Tapestry at the British Museum opened on 10 September in London. Interest in this work of art’s arrival in the UK after 1,000 years has extended far beyond the world of textiles—but what exactly is it that has captured people’s attention?
Hali magazine · 10 min
First impressions of 'Embroidery Traditions of Afghanistan' from the Karun Thakar collection
A new exhibition, 'Embroidery Traditions of Afghanistan', draws on the Karun Thakar collection to celebrate the diversity, craftsmanship and beauty of Afghan embroidery. Ben Evans, Jeff Spurr, Janet Marion Purdy and members of the public share their reflections on the display
Hali magazine · 10 min
Rare Inka-era garments go on display at GWU Museum
An upcoming exhibition at the George Washington University Museum and The Textile Museum features rarely displayed garments created by communities under Inka rule
From Bali to Timor: 'Woven Threads' celebrates eastern Indonesian textiles
'Woven Threads: Masterpieces of Textile Art From Bali to Timor' explores the extraordinary textile traditions of eastern Indonesia through two significant Swiss collections dedicated to this remarkable artistic heritage
How old is a Tibetan rug?
It’s a question that has perplexed connoisseurs and researchers for a long time. Through submitting the largest selection yet to radiocarbon dating, Felix Elwert seeks answers regarding a significant number of 15th- to 15th-century examples
Inside the Met's newly reopened Michael C. Rockefeller wing
Following a major four-year renovation, the newly reopened Michael C. Rockefeller Wing at New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art features exceptional art from Africa, Oceania and the ancient Americas
Louis XIV’s Grande Galerie carpets at the Grand Palais
Thirty-two of Louis XIV’s Grande Galerie carpets were reunited in Paris for the first time in 350 years in a landmark exhibition at the Grand Palais. This autumn, The Met Museum will continue the story with a major exhibition exploring these extraordinary royal masterpieces
LACMA's new David Geffen galleries
The buzz created by the new David Geffen Galleries at LACMA has not all been positive. However, the radical approach, with the emphasis on fluidity, shows confidence in both the curatorial team and the intelligence of visitors
Palestinian dress preserves the memory of a vanished world
Few lands have been through as much upheaval as Palestine, and its proud embroidery tradition is now a culture in exile. A collecting couple reveals that the Palestinian past really is another country-clinging to survival through its textiles
An inscribed Caucasian dowry rug and its matrimonial symbolism
An inscribed and dated Caucasian dowry rug reveals its ceremonial sequence, protective symbolism and matrimonial significance. More than a domestic furnishing, it emerges as a woven record of marriage, where geometry, ritual, memory and gift-giving are intricately intertwined
Wedding textiles around the world
A celebratory occasion in cultures globally, marriages demand that the fanciest of textiles are brought out on parade-to impress in-laws, wedding guests and passers-by alike