Ida Ou Nadif. Morocco. Treasure Necklace, early twentieth century. The Art Institute of Chicago, Rita and Jim Knox Fund.
The Art Institute of Chicago’s “Embroidered Traditions from Morocco to Afghanistan” explores the textile traditions of Southwest Asia and North Africa, known as SWANA, with a dazzling display of over seventy textiles from the eighteenth to twentieth centuries, including the loan of four face veils from a private collector based in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. It’s the Art Institute’s first exhibition of its kind focusing on the art and culture of the SWANA region.
The exhibition includes extraordinary examples of headdresses, wedding dresses, abayas or loose overcoats worn by both men and women, Burqu’ or face veils and even towels. These elaborate textiles showcase a diversity of weaving and embroidery styles, using cotton, silk and other fabrics with coins, metal pieces and other embellishments incorporated into the garments.
Indus Kohistani people. Kohistan (present-day Afghanistan, Pakistan, Tajikistan and Iran). Jatho Ceremonial Dress, mid-twentieth century. The Art Institute of Chicago, Louise A. Lutz Endowment Fund.
Curated by Associate Curator of Textiles Janet Marion Purdy, the exhibition makes a case that these embroideries were not just decorative luxuries, but served a variety of purposes in society. The show demonstrates the commonalities between cultures in terms of purpose and form across SWANA, ranging from Morocco through Uzbekistan and Pakistan.
One extraordinary piece is a mid-twentieth century jatho, a ceremonial dress from Indus Kohistani (present-day Afghanistan and Pakistan). Used for weddings and festivals, this black cotton dress is embellished with red-and-white embroidered strips, beads, buttons, metal amulets, buckles, coins and bells. The explanatory text notes that the act of moving would cause the metal components of the dress to make noise to “scare away evil spirits.” It’s a truly remarkable garment.
Turkey. Fragment of Towel End, 1850-1900. The Art Institute of Chicago, gift of Burton Y. Berry.
The exhibition also showcases Turkish towels and kerchiefs that were associated with bathhouse culture. The borders of these garments have incredibly intricate embroidery, from images of rosewater bottles, ships and architectural forms. These pieces were a way for women to demonstrate their social status. But unlike the delicate lace tablecloths lurking in our respective linen closets, these towels and kerchiefs were meant to be used to dry bodies and cover hair.
Bukhara Khanate (now Uzbekistan). Mihrab or Jai-namaz Suzani, eighteenth century. The Art Institute of Chicago, gift of Robert Allerton.
While the exhibition is a treasure trove of artistry from an underrepresented part of the world, the exhibition may have benefited from a brief discussion about how these traditions are practiced today. The scope of the exhibition is the eighteenth to the twentieth centuries, but the viewer is left with the question on how these art forms have evolved. There’s a quick mention about hand-stitching versus using a sewing machine, but not much else. There are two large photographs in the final gallery that show people in the twentieth century wearing their elaborate garments, but there is no substantive discussion of contemporary use or creation of the items.
Overall, the show is a fascinating exploration into a part of the world that has rich and beautiful artistic traditions that have been previously underrepresented in museum shows. I hope it’s the first of many showcasing the art across SWANA.
“Embroidered Traditions from Morocco to Afghanistan” is on view at the Art Institute of Chicago, 111 South Michigan, through Jan 25, 2027.
