Chintz. A Blend of Craftsmanship and Controversy

Drawing on MoMu's archives and historical textile collection, the exhibition focuses on hand-painted and printed floral cotton textiles from India and examines how textile practices transmit social, cultural, and historical meanings across generations. Chintz carries a layered history marked by artistic exchange and colonial entanglement. Its origins can be traced to the Indian practice of Kalamkari, in which textiles were hand-painted with natural dyes to depict religious figures intended for domestic shrines and temple use. Over time, this meticulous craft evolved into large-scale floral and botanical motifs adapted for interior textiles. Indian chintz was part of a broader textile culture shaped by local craft knowledge, distinct visual language, trade networks, and regional design traditions. Over the past few decades, this centuries-old craft has experienced a revival in India. Its designs and color palette continue to inspire admiration. For this exhibition, the Indian textile designer and researcher Meera Curam created two new designs inspired by historic chintz from the MoMu Collection. They were produced by artisans from the Coromandel coast, using traditional techniques. Chintz embodies multiple identities at once: a handcrafted Indian textile tradition, a colonial commodity, a fashionable European material, and a marker of social identity shaped through global exchange. This raises a persistent question: who, then, does chintz belong to, and what histories and identities are woven into its fabric?