8 Mar 2024 to 4 May 2024

"Khayameya, (the craft of tentmaking) is one of Egypt’s most dramatic living heritage crafts. Using nothing but canvas decorated with applied cotton decoration, for centuries the tentmakers of Egypt have created magnificent spaces out of thin air. In the blinking of an eye, colourful textile hangings transform the urban landscape, imparting a sense of occasion.

This collection of Khayameya works, old and new, captures the spirit of this remarkable craft, demonstrating how it continues to invent itself responding to the ways in which Egyptian society itself evolves. Today, thanks to the phenomenon of the Ramadan tent, this textile tradition is associated with Ramadan, but it once framed every occasion, solemn or festive.  

Among the artwork selected for this exhibition, are common themes at the root of Egyptian visual culture, from the lotus flowers of ancient Egypt to the poignant words rendered by Arabic calligraphy. But there are also surprises, and many flashes of unusual inspiration drawn from the spirit of the everyday and the heritage of this distinct civilisation."