Soulful Stitching
©2015 sarahkkhan
About The Show
Photo by Henry J. Drewal
We are thrilled to announce that, in early 2021 and in collaboration with Indigo Arts Alliance, we will host an exhibition of the handmade, patchwork quilts of the Siddis in India. The exhibition is curated by artist and scholar Sarah K. Khan and Prof. Henry J. Drewal. The Siddis of Karnataka, India are the descendants of both early African immigrants to South Asia and enslaved Africans brought to Goa on India’s west coast by the Portuguese beginning in the 16th century. Gradually, they escaped slavery and moved southward into the remote Western Ghatt mountains of Northern Karnataka in order to create free, independent African diaspora communities. While they have adopted, adapted, and integrated many aspects of Indian cultures, Siddis have also retained and transformed certain African traditions. In the visual arts, one tradition stands out: the patchwork quilts known as kawandi.
Although the exhibition is not until next year, a few of the kawandi are on sale now in advance of the holidays. Proceeds help support both the Siddi Quilters and Indigo Arts Alliance.
Small quilts: $500
