Visitors can look forward to UP Museums’ new exhibition Bokgabo ba Mašela: Art of Textiles, a wonderfully curated textile collection that represents “a cacophony of voices that have long been unheard”.

The University of Pretoria (UP) Museums’ latest exhibition, which opened recently at the Javett Art Centre’s Bridge Gallery, includes masks made of painted woven grass; dresses by South African couturier Marianne Fassler; South African Republic State President Paul Kruger’s ceremonial silk sash; a 12^th-century fragment of cord; and a 15m tapestry that took 15 people almost a year to embroider.

The only commonality among the close to 100 items on show is that they are textiles or related to textiles. Apart from that, Bokgabo ba Mašela: Art of Textiles, is diverse in every way possible, in terms of the artefacts’ place and time of origin, intended purpose and size. The person responsible for this impact – Uthando Baduza, Museum Curator of Art Exhibitions and Galleries for UP Museums – called it a “cacophony of voices”.

Addressing the crowd of about 180 people at the opening night cocktail party, Baduza said: “We have Congolese, Cuban, Persian, German, Basotho, Afghan, Iranian, British, Turkish, Indian, Chinese, Japanese, Bulgarian, Indonesian and Dutch textiles interacting, to create a cacophony of voices that have long been unheard, revealing the interconnectedness of the human condition. Additionally, we have great South African works from artists like Allina Ndebele, among many others, including designs by Neels Hansen made for Mimi Coertse’s operatic performances”.

The exhibition is drawn mainly from UP Museums’ permanent collections. Additional items have been borrowed from different departments of the University, and external partners such as the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan Art Museum, the Sanlam Art Collection and the Javett Family collections.

The University’s Vice-Chancellor and Principal, Professor Francis Petersen, said 1 500 to 5 000 visitors engage with UP Museums’ collections each month.

“This level of engagement makes the University of Pretoria not just a leading institution of higher learning, but a significant cultural institution in its own right.”

He said the exhibition is “a reminder that universities do not merely house knowledge. They create knowledge, interpret knowledge and share knowledge, and, very importantly, they co-create knowledge with our partners”.

“Through exhibitions like Bokgabo ba Mašela, we are reminded of the role of the arts in shaping our understanding of history, identity and memory. It's a privilege to be part of an institution that embraces that responsibility,” Prof Petersen added, inviting visitors to engage with the work and “reflect on the histories woven into the fabric of this exhibition”.

By virtue of its bright colours and vast size, the most prominent artwork on show was in fact the catalyst for the entire exhibition – a 15m x 1.2m tapestry that UP commissioned to commemorate its centenary in 2008. Usually housed in UP’s Merensky Library, this is a chance for members of the public to see the artwork that Baduza calls “majestic”. The Kaross Foundation, based on a citrus farm in Letsitele in Limpopo, took almost a year to create it. UP Fine Arts alumnus Irma van Rooyen founded Kaross in 1988 and conceptualised the tapestry in collaboration with Calvin Mahlaule of Kaross. The embroiders used 10kg of yarn, choosing their own colours and stitches. They worked on individual pieces of material, which were later appliqued together. The scenes depicted include one of the distinctive clock tower at the Old Arts building on UP’s Hatfield campus

“The themes in the tapestry are forward-looking and aspirational, imagining the kind of university we should be, thereby becoming a touchstone to reflect on how far the university has come,” Baduza said.

The guest speaker at the opening, Puleng Segalo, Chief Albert Luthuli research chair and a professor of psychology at the University of South Africa, said the tapestry is an opportunity to imagine the future differently, and to be a constant reminder of what is possible.

One of the principles underlying the Bokgabo ba Mašela exhibition is to showcase the work of women artists. Baduza said the exhibition highlights how women of colour in particular have turned to textiles “to document and reclaim their experiences, identities and histories, which have excluded them from mainstream, public and institutional narratives”.

Prof Segalo reinforced this when she related an account from the 2020 novel The Dictionary of Lost Words by Pip Williams. The book explores lexicographers working on the Oxford Dictionary, and tells the story of a little girl called Esme who is cared for by her father’s bondmaid, Lizzie, who’s bound to serve until her death. Lizzie does needlepoint in her spare time. When Esme asks Lizzie why she does it, she replies that it proves she exists.

“This narrative of Lizzie highlights the power of needlework as a form of self-expression and self-assertion,” Prof Segalo said. “Lizzie's proclamation that needlework proves that she exists demonstrates the power it carries.”

Dr Sian Tiley-Nel, Head of UP Museums and curator of the Mapungubwe Collection, said the 12^th-century items from the collection in the exhibition – a fragment of cord, woven basket work, clay whorls used to spin fabric and a needle made of bone – are so fragile they are rarely exhibited. They are displayed behind glass and in a secure environment.

“We have diverse collections that often aren’t on exhibition,” she said. “Now we have the opportunity to showcase those archaeological pieces alongside the contemporary pieces.”

Bokgabo ba Mašela is on until 15 October. There will be public walkabouts on dates yet to be determined. Tours can be booked with Steven Motena; email [email protected]