DMA Members are invited to join Dr. Roslyn A. Walker, Senior Curator of the Arts of Africa, the Americas, and the Pacific, and The Margaret McDermott Curator of African Art, for an exclusive members-only talk on Bamana Mud Cloth: From Mali to the World.
The recently acquired textiles that make up this new exhibition explore the labor-intensive process behind the dye-decorated cloth, as well as the cultural significance of its motifs and designs. The geometric designs derived from bogolanfini have been part of the Western visual vocabulary since the 1970s. American fashion designer Norma Kamali is credited with popularizing the designs in the US; however, it was Malian designer Chris Seydou who debuted bogolanfini motifs and fabric on the runways in Paris. Today, the distinctive designs are found on a variety of textile products, from home furnishings to haute couture.
“After 40-plus years, Bamana mud cloth patterns, like those on Asante kente and Kuba raffia cloths, continue to be a source of inspiration for the world’s designers of haute couture and household furnishings,” said Dr. Walker. “This exhibition recognizes the African women who for more than 50 years have created this textile art form that has become so much a part of the fabrics of our contemporary lives.”
For more information, please contact Member Services at members@DMA.org or 214-922-1247.
IMAGE: Bogolanfini wrapper, Mali, Bamana peoples, 1970–89. Cotton and natural dyes. Dallas Museum of Art, Textile Purchase Fund, 2021.10.2.5.