Akmim Egypt: 4000 Years of Textile Art
From July 12 to October 16, the MUMAQ is taking you on a trip to Egypt – more precisely, to the city of Akhmîm! This new exhibition is a chance to discover the ancestral art of embroidery. Here, you will find ancient Egyptian textiles alongside informal works of art made by the women of this community.
Weaving was, for centuries, the prerogative of the men in the region. Determined to explore this thousand-year-old art in a new century, female artisans joined the Akhmim community center project in 1960, where they were able to let their imagination run wild and promote the craft of embroidery.
Bearers of emancipation and liberation, these artists create colorful and expressive scenes reflective of their daily lives.
The income generated by the sale of their works allow them financial independence in a region where the fate of women can often be precarious.
The exhibition presented at MUMAQ testifies to the preservation of this know-how through an exceptional social, artistic, and economic development project.