University of Pretoria – The University of Pretoria Museums is pleased to announce a thought- provoking new exhibition, Bokgabo ba mašela: the Art of Textiles, which opens to the public on Thursday, 7 March 2025 and runs through until 17 October 2025. This exhibition brings together a stunning selection of textiles from across the globe, showcasing both the simplicity and complexity of the medium, and highlighting its deep historical and cultural significance. Through intricate craftsmanship, the exhibition reveals the power of textiles to tell stories long forgotten and speaks to the profound role they have played in shaping the lives and experiences of women throughout history and the present.

According to the Museum Curator of the exhibition, Uthando Baduza, “textiles are often overlooked as a medium of artistic expression, yet they have been central to shaping our history. This exhibition aims to elevate textiles as an art form, while acknowledging the powerful narratives of women’s lives that have been woven into every piece.” Baduza goes onto share that, “it is through the threads, the fabrics and the weavings that we see a deeper understanding of both individual and collective histories. These textiles, from Mapungubwe (12 th century) to the haute couture high-end fashion designs by the inimitable South African icon, Marianne Fassler, continue to carry with them the stories of resilience, culture, and identity that need to be heard and appreciated in the context of art history-- all well-placed within a university museum.”

Signature textile works featured in the exhibition, include iconic pieces such as the Keiskammahoek Guernica from the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan Art Museum, and the haute couture designs by the world renowned South African designer, Marianne Fassler. Textiles from diverse regions—including traditional Congolese Kuba cloths, Persian, German, Lesotho, Afghan, Iranian, British, Turkish, Indian, Chinese, Japanese, Bulgarian, Indonesian, and Dutch textiles—interact to form a harmonious blend of voices that have long been unheard, revealing the interconnectedness of humanity through textiles. Additional notable South African works from artists such as Allina Ndebele, Nandipha Mntambo, André Naudé, Amita Mikan, Misi Mvelase, Christo Coetzee, Mzonzima Dladla, Jane Makhubele, among many others. Neels Hansen designs of romantic dresses worn by Mimi Coertze and her 20 th century showstopper operatic costumes are also exhibited. Recognisable cultural materials such as Basotho blankets, courtesy of the Sanlam Art Collection and Ndebele attire, Zulu grass mats, a kaross and fedora hat, and Basotho Mokorotlo hat, to the impressive 15m spread of the University of Pretoria’s majestic Kaross Centenary Tapestry are also on splendid display.

It is very telling of the exhibition to draw from its own institutional permanent collection, as many of the textiles have not been exhibited to the public and were relegated to storage for decades. It was one of the reasons why this theme was selected, to bring historical threads into the contemporary sphere and examine the development of textile art as a practice, that transcends boundaries, cultures and connects people from different parts of the world. It questions the role of textiles within the canon of art history, reflecting on how contemporary textile practices resonate in our ever-shrinking, interconnected globalised world. The exhibition also pays tribute to the feminist movements of the late 20 th century, which challenged the historical exclusion of textiles from scholarly inquiry and elevated the significance of women’s work in the art world.

Scholars have long argued that the study of textiles unveils the profound impact they have had on various facets of human life, from social, political, and economic to ethnic and cultural spheres. As articulated by scholar Jennifer Goggin in 2009, “just how deeply the needle has pierced” these areas of human existence. The exhibition seeks to engage with the materiality and textuality of textiles, posing essential questions about the social bonds formed between women, makers, and their communities, while encouraging reflection on how these narratives, expressed through fabric and thread, can be understood in deeper, more meaningful ways. Baduza emphasizes, “We often think of textiles as mere functional objects, but they are so much more. They hold memory, they hold history. And in that sense, they have the power to speak to us across time, linking ancient practices with contemporary narratives.” The curator also reflects on the exhibition's role in elevating marginalised voices of black female artists, “This exhibition highlights how textile art in South Africa and around the world has served as an essential form of storytelling—especially for women of colour—who have often turned to this medium to document and reclaim their experiences, identities, and histories that have been excluded from mainstream narratives.”

Bokgabo ba mašela: the art of textiles exhibition offers a unique opportunity to reimagine and engage with textile art as a medium that challenges conventional boundaries and institutional responsibilities of often, marginalised collections. It underscores how textile art can contribute to understanding the intertwined and multi-layered histories of people and places, and allowing indigenous knowledge practices to be foregrounded in a museum-art context. The University of Pretoria Museums made a deliberate choice of the subject matter for this 2025 exhibition, combining historical textiles, including archaeological fibres from Mapungubwe to the display of Paul Kruger’s presidential silk sash onto the same public platform as iconic pieces on loan from women empowerment projects such as the Mapula Embroidery Trust, the Mogalakwena Art Centre, Kaross Foundation, Rorke’s Drift, Masana Tapestries and many more. The exhibition further aims to celebrate the diversity, depth and inclusiveness of what a university museum ought to exhibit in carrying out its social responsibility and sharing its collections that are accessible and inclusive.

The exhibition hints at the evolving western notion of the word ‘textile’ by featuring works that engage with the materiality and textuality of textiles, fabrics, threads and diverse materials, to all types of woven, stitched, embroidered, laced and knitted works of art, thus inviting audiences to reflect on the rich and complex histories embedded within them. These artworks not only provide a window into the human experience, but also offer critical insights into the ways textiles can excavate traces and fragments of visual narratives, creating spaces for healing, empowerment, and the restoration of communities wounded by the weight of their histories. Bokgabo ba mašela: the art of textiles exhibition certainly should not be missed, as it aims to share the textuality of textiles with the UP community, museum patrons, art enthusiasts and with wider society.

For further exhibition details:
Opening Date: 7 March 2025
Closing Date: 17 October 2025
Location: Bridge Gallery, Hatfield Campus, University of Pretoria
Tours and Admission: Contact Matsobane Steven Motena + 27 12 420 2178
E-mail: [email protected]
For media inquiries, high-resolution images, or more curatorial information about the exhibition, please
contact: Uthando Baduza, Museum Curator Art Exhibitions & Galleries
e-mail: [email protected]