A

n ongoing exhibition at Komaneka Gallery in Ubud is showcasing Japanese traditional weaving heritage and the work of a family of artisans in nurturing that heritage.

Presented by Yamamayu, the exhibit features hand-spun and naturally dyed shawls designed and created by the Nakagawara family. The family has 120 years of experience in the dyeing and weaving industry and currently runs workshops in Tokyo, Yamanashi and Bali. They continue using traditional techniques in rearing wild silkworms, spinning, dyeing and weaving.

Among the displayed works were shawls woven by mixing hand-spun yarns of different textures as well as Tensan shawls, which were created from Japanese wild cocoon known as Diamond Silk. Shawls using natural dyes from Bali plants were also displayed.

“The shawls are of outstanding quality. They are very comfortable to wear and very light, yet they are also very warm and could protect you from the cold,” exhibit organizer Dorothy Goh Beehon said.

She pointed at the shawl she was wearing, saying that the subtle color gradation of the fabric was a testament to Nakagawara’s mastery of intricate weaving and dyeing techniques.

“Some of the shawls used 200 cocoons to make. There was one piece that needed 1,000 cocoons to
make,” she said, gesturing to a shawl with a complex pattern of color hung at the center of the gallery’s eastern wall.

The family’s head, Tetsuji Nakagawara, admitted that nurturing the traditional heritage had never been an easy thing to do. Western influences have swept across the globe and were on the verge of homogenizing the once diverse world into a single cultural entity.

“I see it as a matter of identity. We continue this tradition because to some extent we also want to preserve our identity,” he said.

The exhibit, which will run until Sept. 11, was opened by the founder of Neka museum, Pande Wayan Sutedja Neka.

“This exhibition shows that Komaneka Gallery has expanded its vision to embrace other art forms. The ways the Nakagawara creates these shawls, their utmost attention to detail, their innovation with new materials, and, most importantly, their dedication to their traditional heritage as well as their ability to adapt that heritage to modern challenges, are truly beautiful and inspiring,” Neka said.