Indigenous Arts Turned Chic
A special exhibition on view at the Tainan Art Museum bears fruit of a rare encounter between Indigenous artisans and fashion designers from Taiwan. This creative endeavour fuses tradition with modern design, shedding light on a kaleidoscope of possibilities offered by Indigenous arts, culture and heritage.
Exhibition: Encounter: Indigenous National Living Treasures Meet Fashion
Location: Tainan Art Museum, TAINAN, Taiwan
Worth the journey: ★★★★☆
TAINAN, Taiwan — When we come to think of Indigenous arts and craft, we often associate them with terms such as “primitive”, “tribal”, and even “raw”.
In recent years, there’s been a surging interests in Indigenous or Aboriginal art, with more and more emerging Indigenous artists receiving global attention. But what lies beneath these exotic colours, motifs and patterns are traces of their tribal roots and history, all of which have been distilled into simple yet powerful visual imagery. And it is only by looking through the lens of an anthropologist or ethnologist that we will be able to discern these hidden tales and legends.
Culture is fluid and hybrid — it is shaped by the accumulation of ideas and beliefs exchanged with the outside world, which goes as far as influencing its arts, the languages, and the belief systems. The same also applies to Indigenous culture in Taiwan.
Cross-stitch practiced by Paiwan people, for instance, was introduced by the Dutch who arrived in Taiwan some 400 years ago. Having learned the technique, the Paiwan cross-stitched “hundred-pace viper” on their costumes, a symbol of their guardian spirit who offers protection in their homeland. Beautiful headdresses worn by the Atayal brides, too, owed its influence to Japanese kimono and bridal headpiece introduced during the Colonial Period (1895-1945).
Indigenous population in Taiwan, as in many other parts of the world, is considered a minority. Despite their contribution to shaping the nation’s diverse cultural fabric, Indigenous people in Taiwan remain marginalised in the society (read “Voices of the Marginalised Heard in Unaccounted Travelogue at MoCA Taipei”).
Until recently, voices of the peripheral joined the mainstream conversation during Taipei Fashion Weeks Spring/Summer 2023. Hosted in Taipei city, the grand opening show "CrossLab: Dialogue between Indigenous Art and Fashion" demonstrates that Indigenous arts and culture can serve a higher purpose, and become a source of inspiration for the creative industry.
For those who missed the show, the collections that appeared on the catwalk are now on view at the Tainan Art Museum at exhibition Encounter: Indigenous National Living Treasures Meet Fashion.
As its title suggests, the exhibition bears fruit of an encounter between Indigenous artisans and fashion designers. The five artisans — all of whom have been listed as Taiwan’s Living National Treasures — come from Seediq, Atayal, Kavalan, and Paiwan tribes. The artisans are, on overage, over 70 years old, and they have been working on perfecting traditional weaving and embroidery techniques for decades.
As soon as we enter the exhibition, we are introduced to the expression “Fabric-Like Tongue”. According to the Atayal people, “Fabric-Like Tongue” is a metaphor used for describing how the elders — who speak words that are as soft fabric — are capable of tolerating and embracing the younger generation. As an essential material from which clothes are made, fabric is also the focus of the exhibition.
Encounter is spread throughout three galleries on the third floor of the Tainan Art Museum. The first gallery features traditional costumes made by the five prominent Indigenous artisans: Seta Bakan, Ljavaus, Miyang, Yuma Taru, and Zagong.
Seta Bakan inherited Sediq weaving and folklore traditions from her mother and grandmother. She is also the preserver of the Sediq Gaya tminiun weaving technique. In Sediq culture, it is believed that a woman must know how to weave in order to gain access to the “Rainbow Bridge” after death.
Ljavaus is the preserver of Paiwan Kinavatjesan embroidery technique. With over 60 years of experience, Ljavaus has mastered 8 traditional embroidery techniques, and is excelled in incorporating Japanese embroidery into her work. Miyang, also a Paiwan artisan, is a designated preserver Tjemenun, a traditional weaving technique.
Yuma Taru, the first Indigene to be listed as Living National Treasure, is known for preserving Atayal dyeing and weaving culture, whereas Zaqong is a designated preserver of Kavalan banana fiber weaving (Ni Tenunan tu Benina) who has played a central role in reviving this disappearing craft.
The section “Origin: Fabric-Like Tongues” is dedicated to clothes made by Indigenous artisans: Seta Bakan, Ljavaus, Miyang, zaqong, and Yuma Taru.
In the last gallery, “Indigenous Crafts by Living National Treasures Translated by Modern Fashion”, the remaining of the five collections are on display, with a video of Taipei Fashion Week’s Spring/Summer 2023 season being played in the background.
In this creative endeavour, each artisan is paired up with a fashion designer, who would then draw inspiration from the craft traditions mastered by his or her partner. Working side by side, five pairs of artisan and designer had a common goal: to explore different possibilities and find new ways to interpreting Indigenous cultural heritage.
On display, we see how traditional motifs and colours have been given a modern twist. Hair-like black, a symbol of Sediq warriors’ bravery, becomes the canvas for traditional patterns woven on blue and white denim. Latest Alterknit technology was adopted to recreate Paiwan traditional motifs in cross-stitching. Light-like orange, a symbol of the Paiwan (or children of the Sun), and cloud white, a symbol of wave for the Kavalan and that of snow for the Atayal, come to form part of the fashion statement, bridging Indigenous aesthetics with contemporary fashion.
Wisdom of Paiwan culture is embedded in their weaving tradition. The first of Paiwan’s eight weaving techniques is called “si tje nek” (literally “eyes”) reminds both the weaver and the wearer to be cautious and precise in order to differentiate between the good and the bad.
I must admit that I’ve never been keen on fashion largely due to its ephemeral quality, as well as its tendency to focus only on the surface. But my perspective changed completely after visiting Encounter, as it made me realise how useful fashion can be when it comes to rejuvenating century-old traditions.
However, I was a bit frustrated to see that this exhibition, which opens up an important chapter in the history of Taiwanese art and design, is not getting the attention it deserves, not to mention that I found neither brochure, nor exhibition guide of any kind made for it. My visit, too, was completely a chance encounter — I travelled all the way to the Tainan Art Museum with the intention to see another exhibition: Persistence/Resistance: Taiwan – Canada Indigenous Art Exhibition.
Persistence/Resistance is Tainan Art Museum’s featuring exhibition this winter, which showcases a number of works on loan from the collection of Canada's Indigenous Art Centre (CIRNAC). After seeing what’s on display, it occurred to me how most of the works on display — apart from those made by local artists — show a lack of relevance to audience in Taiwan. My trip would’ve ended with disappointment if I had not run into Encounter, which opened just one day before my visit.
It is no surprise that the Tainan Art Museum seems to favour cross-cultural dialogue between local and foreign artists (as presented in Persistence/Resistance) over the creative spirits sparked by local artisans and designers (as seen in Encounter). But it’s time for a wake-up call: we should start appreciating our varied cultural heritage, for if we don’t restore our national pride and confidence, who will?
Encounter：Indigenous National Living Treasures Meet Fashion is on view at the Tainan Art Museum in Tainan City until 5 February 2023.
Worth the journey: ★★★★☆