APR 9 – OCT 9 2016 PRESS Press Contact Rachel Eggers Manager of Public Relations
[email protected] RELEASE 206.654.3151 MARCH 17, 2016 MOOD INDIGO: TEXTILES FROM AROUND THE WORLD OPENS AT ASIAN ART MUSEUM SAT APR 9 SAM’s global textile collection—and a contemporary immersive installation with sound—tells the story of a color that surrounds us April 9–October 9, 2016 SEATTLE, WA – The Asian Art Museum presents Mood Indigo: Textiles From Around the World, honoring the unique ability of the color blue to create many moods in cloth. The exhibition of over 100 works is drawn primarily from SAM’s global textile collection, including a set of tapestries from Belgium, a silk court robe from China, a vast array of kimonos from Japan, resist-dyed cloths from Indonesia and Africa, and ancient fragments from Peru and Egypt. These historical pieces are accompanied by an immersive installation by contemporary artist Rowland Ricketts that includes interactive sounds of indigo by artist Norbert Herber. Indigo is a familiar thread throughout textile history, making it a natural focus for this, the first exhibition of textiles from the SAM collection since Patterns of Fiber in 1980. The galleries will take the viewer on a journey through the historic scope and multiple meanings of indigo. A quilt-like stuffed kimono and futonji (bedding covers), along with two contemporary American quilts, will explore the art of sleeping. The museum’s magnificent set of Belgian tapestries that depict three continents will be unveiled after recent conservation, showcasing the anchor role that indigo has in igniting their unusual subject matter.