Exhibition
Cotton: labour, land and body
21 Sep 2022 – 4 Mar 2023
Regular hours
- Wednesday
- 11:00 – 17:00
- Thursday
- 11:00 – 17:00
- Friday
- 11:00 – 17:00
- Saturday
- 11:00 – 17:00
Free admission
Address
- 44a Pentonville Road
- London
England - N1 9NY
- United Kingdom
Travel Information
- Angel
Through textiles, films and works on paper, this exhibition explores how one of the world's most ubiquitous materials has shaped the relationship between Britain and South Asia.
About
For thousands of years, cotton has been skilfully cultivated from seed to yarn and crafted into garments to support a growing expansion of trade and consumption. Today, cotton remains one of the most profitable crops in the world, yet the stories and histories that it holds are rarely told.
In this exhibition, visitors will be taken on an expedition across time, geographies, cultures and traditions, uncovering multi-generational connections between Britain and South Asia through the cotton industry in Lancashire. Featuring work by artists Raisa Kabir, Brigid McLeer, Bharti Parmar and Reetu Sattar commissioned by the British Textile Biennial 2021, it captures the impact of cotton production on labour, land and the body.
Journey through punched khadi paper (a paper made from 100% cotton rag) – echoing Gandhi’s campaign to end British rule – to coded Bengali script and job titles of production-line workers captured in handwoven and jacquard textiles.
Cotton: labour, land and body is curated by Uthra Rajgopal.
Supported by the Bagri Foundation. In partnership with The Super Slow Way and the British Textile Biennial.