About

DESIGNEAST presents the third edition of (Un)common Threads, an exhibition of textile artworks by artists and designers from the Global South. The show explores how textiles are uniquely capable of expressing nuances in identity, culture and environment, featuring multidimensional pieces from Qatar, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Palestine, India and South America. In this edition, held as part of Future Icons, the show will include new works by collaborators in Morocco and India, that join a collective celebration of the power of textiles to weave narratives particular to cultural identity.

Woven from strange materials, found fibres, organic matter and traditionally woven threads, each piece tells the story of the artist’s vision and the infinite variations of how a life, a community and its values can be woven into a single moment.

This show is part of DESIGNEAST’s Caravan, an evolving travelling showcase that began in Dubai in 2023 with 17 large-scale installations before moving to the Nomad show in Capri with a refined curation of smaller, more delicate pieces. The Caravan reappeared again the UAE during Art Week, including a collaboration with sustainable textile brand Jaipur Rugs, before its next stop in Milan on its way to London Craft Week 2024.