In a recent edition of Artnet Pro's newsletter 'The Asia Pivot', the director of CHAT (Centre for Heritage, Arts and Textile) in Hong Kong reflects on highlights from Art Basel Hong Kong, including textile-based works by Movana Chen, Huan Po-Chi, and Ade Darmawan. The article discusses the growing engagement of contemporary artists with traditional craft practices like weaving, embroidery, and dyeing, particularly during the pandemic, and notes the distinct lineage of fiber art in Asia compared to the West, where it emerged as a subgenre of Modernism in the 1960s.
This matters because it signals a significant shift in the perception of textile art within the contemporary art world, moving from a marginalized medium to one that addresses timely global issues such as labor, female solidarity, and sustainability. The article underscores how institutions like CHAT are challenging traditional boundaries between art and craft, and how textile-based practices are gaining recognition on global platforms, even in regions with less developed art markets. This trend reflects a broader revaluation of manual and community-rooted art forms in an increasingly digital age.