To Be Remembered: Woven Matters of the Heart
August 21, 2026 - February 28, 2027
Chicago Cultural Center, Chicago Rooms, 2nd Floor North
Opening Reception: Friday, August 21, 4 - 7 pm
Curated by: Mya Lewis
Between the folds of this world, lingering pieces of one’s own gossamer, narrative threads lay waiting to be unearthed and held.
To Be Remembered: Woven Matters of the Heart embraces the reflective ways in which five contemporary textile artists illuminate their rich interior worlds through their unique fiber practices. The artists: ebere agwuncha, Nnaemeka Ekwelum, Hale Ekinci, Josué Esaú, and Thương Hoài Trần each visually intertwine time, memory, and emotion to conjure deeply felt histories across spatial geographies, venerating the cultural traces that connect us to the motherlands.
Embedded in their designs and motifs, the artworks’ layered meanings preserve cultural continuity through extensive research that awakens their ancestors’ legacies and gifts. The works create new pathways to becoming closer to one another, communicating how we become and become undone within the ever-changing cycles of life. Skillfully made by hand, the artists guide us in how we learn to weave our own personal mythologies.
The magic in life is apparent, and we invite you to find it within.