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Afghan Decorative Arts Exhibit Reception
July 6, 2023 @ 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm EDT
Join us for this free reception with artists Latifa Ali Mohammad and Ismail Arbab. Light refreshments will be served.
Afghan Decorative Arts is on view in the New York Folklore Gallery now through July15th.
More about the artists.
Embroidery is deeply rooted in Afghan culture. Delicate silk satin stitches are typically sewn on heavy silk, wool, or cotton. Designs are intricate and precise and are not drawn on the fabric. Instead, designs are minutely woven in symmetrical and matched patterns. The work is extremely physical and requires great concentration and attention to detail. Latifa Ali Mohammad embroiders traditional pieces of clothing such as dresses, tunics and chemises. She also creates decorative pieces for family, friends and members of the community. Her pieces combine and reflect various typical Afghan embroidery techniques. Her embroidery work and dresses are displayed at weddings, birthdays, and celebrations as well as at other social gatherings. Latifa grew up in Kabul, Afghanistan, and began to learn embroidery from her mother and grandmother as a child. She remembers her mother always busy working on pieces of clothing or decorative pieces for friends and family.Ismail Arbab and his wife represent a many generational tradition of Turkmen rug weaving and jewelry making. Rug weaving is integral to the Turkmen culture found in current-day Turkmenistan and in northern Afghanistan. Similarly, jewelry making and the wearing of jewelry is an important part of Turkmen expressive culture, with jewelry providing indicators of social and economic status. For Ismail, rug weaving and jewelry making were a family business which formed the basis for their economic lives in Afghanistan.
Embroidery is deeply rooted in Afghan culture. Delicate silk satin stitches are typically sewn on heavy silk, wool, or cotton. Designs are intricate and precise and are not drawn on the fabric. Instead, designs are minutely woven in symmetrical and matched patterns. The work is extremely physical and requires great concentration and attention to detail. Latifa Ali Mohammad embroiders traditional pieces of clothing such as dresses, tunics and chemises. She also creates decorative pieces for family, friends and members of the community. Her pieces combine and reflect various typical Afghan embroidery techniques. Her embroidery work and dresses are displayed at weddings, birthdays, and celebrations as well as at other social gatherings. Latifa grew up in Kabul, Afghanistan, and began to learn embroidery from her mother and grandmother as a child. She remembers her mother always busy working on pieces of clothing or decorative pieces for friends and family.Ismail Arbab and his wife represent a many generational tradition of Turkmen rug weaving and jewelry making. Rug weaving is integral to the Turkmen culture found in current-day Turkmenistan and in northern Afghanistan. Similarly, jewelry making and the wearing of jewelry is an important part of Turkmen expressive culture, with jewelry providing indicators of social and economic status. For Ismail, rug weaving and jewelry making were a family business which formed the basis for their economic lives in Afghanistan.
Support for this programming is provided by Schenectady’s County Initiative Program and the New York State Council on the Arts