Wedding blouse c. 20th century

This Wedding Blouse was made by a Pashtun artist, and it's just bursting with energy! You can almost feel the maker's hand in every stitch. There’s a real sense of improvisation, of working with what’s available, and letting the process guide the design. Looking at the texture, the way the threads are layered and knotted, you get a sense of the time and care that went into it. The palette is warm, mainly oranges and reds, which gives it a kind of earthy, grounded feeling. There's a definite rhythm to the embroidery, each individual element building up the whole, and it really activates the space around it. Take for example, one of the central squares, in which the repeated, almost cross-like design is echoed in the squares around it, giving a sense of expansion, of something growing. It reminds me of the work of contemporary artists like Faith Ringgold, who also use textiles to tell stories and explore personal and cultural histories. Art’s never really done in isolation, it's always a conversation, a back-and-forth across time and cultures.