21_21 DESIGN SIGHT Press Release 2018/3/28 P.1 01.Main visual For further inquiry, please contact Shotaro Okada, Kana Aoki, 21_21 DESIGN SIGHT PR Until March 30, tel: +81 0 3-3481-6402 fax:+81 0 3-3481-6422 From April 2, tel: +81 0 3-3475-2123 fax: +81 0 3-3475-2124 mail: press@2121designsight.jp
21_21 DESIGN SIGHT Press Release 2018/3/28 P.2 Khadi: The Fabric of India s Tomorrow Homage to Martand Singh From April 18, 2018 21_21 DESIGN SIGHT presents the exhibition Khadi: The Fabric of India s Tomorrow - Homage to Martand Singh - at Gallery 3. India is a country that continues to cherish today the techniques, history, and culture of handcraft inherited from over the generations, all of which is manifested in its people s simple, beautiful lifestyle and its textiles. Among the textiles, Khadi is a type of cotton fabric that, despite the emergence of automated mass-production, is still spun and woven by hand in regions across India. The white of Khadi is expressed in many different weaves, hand-woven one thread after another, and in between the weaves of its beautiful texture reveals India s modern history and philosophy. The spinning wheel on the Flag of India tells India s history of boycotting imported goods, its independence, and the symbol of hope that lies in the future Khadi. Martand Singh (1947-2017) is known as an advocate of India s cultural revival, carrying out activities at an extensive scale, one of which was to promote Indian textiles. Singh called Khadi the fabric of freedom for the significance it holds regarding India s independence, employment, life and death, and creativity. As his everyday outfit he wore a garment called Kurta made of Khadi, Today Kurta has become a garment suitable for many occasions, where it can be worn as a ceremonial attire and also as pajamas. Through Singh s efforts, Indian textiles became recognized worldwide. ISSEY MIYAKE has been engaging in collaborations with Singh since the 1980s, producing a series of clothes referred to as a dialogue with Indian culture. This dialogue continues to the present day, with HaaT, one of ISSEY MIYAKE s brand whose concept and core, focuses on textiles. This exhibition will introduce Khadi as a medium that faithfully expresses the hand of its weavers and the underlying ideas, along with footages filmed on-site in India of the people who formed the backbone of Martand Singh s activities. Please come and experience for yourself the spirit that dwells in India s handcraft. Press Preview April 17(Tue.), 2018 16:00-17:00
21_21 DESIGN SIGHT Press Release 2018/3/28 P.3 Martand Singh(Photo: Pran Udiyana) There is an infinite number of whites... White of the jasmine flower, White of the sea form, White of the august moon, White of the conch shell, White of the clouds emptied Martand Singh
21_21 DESIGN SIGHT Press Release 2018/3/28 P.4 Profile Martand Singh Martand Singh (1947-2017)was a leading cultural figure from India, involved with pioneering textile, exhibition and heritage-conservation initiatives for five decades. As a producer-curator, he represented a unique phase in the post colonial phase of national-building, seeding the emergence of contemporary aesthetics in Indian design and fashion. Its impact was global, while being firmly rooted in local contexts and vocabularies. His curatorial vision is best remembered through landmark exhibitions on Indian textiles which included Vishwakarma - A series of seven exhibitions in the USA, UK, France, Sweden, China and several Indian cities (1981-90); Costumes of Royal India at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York (1985-86); Earth and Sky, Former USSR (1986)and Tokyo (1988); The Peacock in the Desert, Museum fur Kunst and Gewerbe, Hamburg (1991); The Thar, National Gallery Stuttgart (1992)and Khadi: The Fabric of Freedom in New Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru and Kolkata (2002). Such efforts were extended, through his role in significant positions in private and governmental art institutions, informing cultural policy. Some of these were as Administrator and Member of the Governing Council of the Calico Museum of Textiles, Ahmedabad; Founding Secretary of the Indian Trust for Arts and Cultural Heritage (INTACH); Chairman of INTACH UK Trust; Trustee of the Mehrangarh Fort Museum Trust, Jodhpur and Advisor, Restoration of the Chowmohallah Palace, Hyderabad. He was the General Editor of Handcrafted Indian Textiles (Roli & Jannsen BV, 2002)and Saris of India: Tradition & Beyond (Roli Books, 2010). Affectionaetly and widely known as Mapu, he was awarded the Padmabhushan, one of the highest civilian awards by the Government of India (1986).
21_21 DESIGN SIGHT Press Release 2018/3/28 P.5 Press Images 02. Meditation and Khadi-spinning session by Gujarat Vidyapith students (film: Noriaki Okamoto) 03. From a video of Martand Singh interview In Conversation with Martand Singh: Handmade in Rajasthan project for Rajasthan with Prasad Bidapa 04. Khadi swatch catalogue from the exhibition Khadi: the Fabric of Freedom (2002) 05. Kisan Charkha (spinning wheel) 06. Khadi, at Rta Kapur Chishti studio (film: Noriaki Okamoto) 07. Kalamkush Cotton pulp paper mill (film: Noriaki Okamoto)
21_21 DESIGN SIGHT Press Release 2018/3/28 P.6 Exhibition Outline Exhibition Khadi: The Fabric of India s Tomorrow - Homage to Martand Singh - Date April 18(Wed.)- May 13(Sun.), 2018 Closed Tuesdays(Except May 1) Time 10:00-19:00 Admission Free Venue 21_21 DESIGN SIGHT Gallery 3 Midtown Garden, Tokyo Midtown, 9-7-6 Akasaka, Minato-ku, Tokyo 107-0052 JAPAN tel. +81 (0)3-3475-2121 www.2121designsight.jp Access: 5 min. walk from Roppongi station(toei Oedo Line / Tokyo Metro Hibiya Line) and Nogizaka station(tokyo Metro Chiyoda Line) Organized by Sponsored by In association with 21_21 DESIGN SIGHT ISSEY MIYAKE INC. The Japan-India Association Text Video Production Graphic Design Space Design Coordination Supervision Special Support Yoshiyuki Morioka Noriaki Okamoto Nobuhiro Yamaguchi Momoko Kudo Tatsuya Maemura(21_21 DESIGN SIGHT) Makiko Minagawa(HaaT) David Abraham, Rakesh Thakore, Rta Kapur Chishti, Suhrid Sarabhai, Asha Sarabhai
21_21 DESIGN SIGHT Press Release 2018/3/28 P.7 Related Events *Venue: 21_21 DESIGN SIGHT Gallery 3 / Admission: Free / No reservation required Gallery Talk by Exhibition Team April 18(Wed.)17:00-18:00 Speakers: Yoshiyuki Morioka, Noriaki Okamoto, Tatsuya Maemura(21_21 DESIGN SIGHT) Gallery Talk by Makiko Minagawa May 11(Fri.)17:00-18:00 Speaker: Makiko Minagawa(HaaT) 21_21 DESIGN SIGHT SHOP During the exhibition, 21_21 DESIGN SIGHT SHOP will introduce Indian textiles and other handmade Indian goods. To add to your exhibition experience, please feel free to take these items in your hands to truly sense the spirit of Indian craftsmanship. 08. HaaT BLOCK PRINT SHEETING BAG ISSEY MIYAKE INC.(Photo by Shin Inaba) INDIAN CRAFTSMANSHIP From April 18th, HaaT/AOYAMA store will introduce the KHADI series conceived from the encounter between HaaT and India s finest craftsmanship, as well as luxurious items using the shape and prints of traditional clothing from archived series parallel to an exhibit on Martand Singh. Date Venue From April 18(Wed.) HaaT /AOYAMA (4-21-29 Minamiaoyama, Minato-ku, Tokyo) tel. +81(0)3-5785-0400 Media Inquiry ISSEY MIYAKE INC. +81(0)3-5454-1705 Website: isseymiyake.com/haat/en 09. HaaT INDIAN CRAFTSMANSHIP Main Visual ISSEY MIYAKE INC.(Photo by Yuriko Takagi)