Former Bahrain-based textile artist Nathaly Jung shines a light on the kingdom’s rich history as well as its flourishing art and craft scene with a collaborative installation at Expo 2020 Dubai.
The French-German former costume and film set designer collaborated with around 40 local artists, designers and artisans to bring The Dilmun Cabinet of Curiosities: Interwoven Stories to life at the Bahrain National Pavilion’s Narrating Histories exhibition.
“I was enthusiastic to take part in an open call by the Bahrain Authority for Culture and Antiquities (Baca) to teach in a craft-training workshop for the Bahrain Pavilion,” said the founder of Yalla Habibi design company which promotes Bahrain’s artisans. “The outcome would be to display Bahrain’s traditional crafts in a contemporary way. I immediately thought of working on a collaborative installation that would include all artists and artisans that I have worked with, or connected with, in the past.
“The collaborative aspect is essential to my work and it is what brings me the most joy.”
Nathaly, whose preferred medium is embroidery art, also has a passion for archaeology and history of Bahrain.
She is also very fond of ‘Cabinets of Curiosities’ that are known as ‘wonder rooms’.
These cabinets became popular in the early 1500s, during the Italian Renaissance, to contain sculptures, paintings, books, coins, medallions, precious gems, maps, and scientific instruments.
“They were the products of inquiring minds who were themselves collectors of ‘the unique, the unusual and the wonderful’,” explained Nathaly. “So, I thought it could be a wonderful and playful concept to build such a ‘Cabinet of Curiosities’ with local artists, designers and artisans, based on the myths and stories of the Dilmun Era.”
Nathaly met with French archaeologist Dr Pierre Lombard, British expert Dr Robert Carter and the archaeology team of the Bahrain National Museum to find four Dilmun myths and stories to serve as inspiration for the four installations – that took two years to complete.
“One of the wonderful aspects of Baca’s work is that there was an important focus on the idea of transmitting the traditional crafts of Bahrain to a younger generation,” said Nathaly. “It all started with workshops, where participants learnt the craft of their choice, from master craftsmen and experienced artisans.”
They ranged from palm weaving, textile weaving, gargour (fishtrap) making, rushmatt (woven local bamboo) and Kurar or Al Naqda, which are types of Arabic embroidery where gold, silver and silk threads are woven to create ribbons used to decorate clothing.
“Once the young participants had mastered their chosen craft, I taught another workshop with the Dilmun Cabinet of Curiosities in mind,” she explained. “The participants produced curious objects, some of them that are now on display in the installation in Dubai.”
According to Nathaly, there was a lot of finetuning of the artefacts in collaboration with Amina Agueznay, the artistic director, and with Noura Al Sayeh, the deputy general commissioner and curator of the Bahrain Pavilion.
“Being part of Bahrain Pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai feels like a celebration of my special bond with the island and all the artists and artisans I have worked with over the years,” said Nathaly who has returned to Australia after living in Bahrain for the past 13 years. “It is very special for me to leave Bahrain with this installation being a tribute to its history as well as to its artists and artisans. I hope people will see how the traditional crafts can translate into beautiful contemporary art pieces and how Bahrain’s history is such a dense material that can still inspire us today.”
As for her time in Australia, she is exploring local crafts with a special focus on Aboriginal arts and traditions.
She also hopes to be an ambassador for Middle Eastern arts and wishes to organise and curate exhibitions in Australia that display the talents that Bahrain and the Middle East have to offer.
The Bahrain National Pavilion Density Weaves Opportunity is open until March 2022 and the Narrating Histories exhibition runs until February 28.
The last themed exhibition, Sustainable Cities, will run until March 31.
For details, follow @cutlurebah, @bahpavilion, @yallahbibi_bh on Instagram.