Kyoto-based textile house HOSOO has announced a collaborative exhibition with American artist Theaster Gates titled “Glorious Robe,” scheduled to run from April 11 to August 30, 2026. The showcase centers on the “Dashikimono,” a hybrid garment merging the West African dashiki with the Japanese kimono, alongside ceramic vessels and traditional obi sashes. These works incorporate motifs from the American Civil Rights Movement, including tributes to Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X, woven directly into the fabric using HOSOO’s centuries-old Nishijin techniques.
This exhibition represents a significant cross-cultural dialogue that bridges Japanese craft heritage with Black radical history and the “Afro Mingei” philosophy. By recontextualizing traditional textiles as vessels for political memory and spiritual identity, Gates and HOSOO challenge the boundaries between functional craft and contemporary art. The project highlights how archival materials—ranging from 17th-century weaving patterns to 1960s civil rights journalism—can be revitalized to address modern social narratives and global cultural intersections.