The KF ASEAN Culture House special exhibition “Weaving Hands, Women’s Time: Textile Crafts of ASEAN” explores the landscapes of life and collective memories shaped by the hands and time of women through the textile traditions of the ASEAN region. Textiles in Southeast Asia embody the histories and identities of diverse communities, developed through long processes ranging from fiber gathering and spinning to dyeing and weaving.

Weaving traditions inscribed on UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity—such as Cambodia’s Krama, Timor-Leste’s Tais, Malaysia’s Songket, the Naga motif weaving tradition of Laos, and the Piña weaving tradition of the Philippines—demonstrate the global cultural value of ASEAN textile craftsmanship. Likewise, batik, wax-resist textiles, and the Kebaya tradition, jointly inscribed by five Southeast Asian countries in 2024, reveal how colors, motifs, and dress cultures have long been interconnected across borders.

At the heart of these traditions have always been women. Through the labor of spinning threads and creating patterns, they have sustained daily life while transmitting skills, aesthetics, and cultural memory across generations. Even in today’s rapidly changing global economy, the reinterpretation of traditional textiles into contemporary design and industry shows the enduring vitality of ASEAN textile traditions.

This exhibition invites visitors to rediscover ASEAN textile crafts as a living contemporary culture that connects women’s lives, community heritage, and the future.

Partner Institutions
• Vietnam Museum of Ethnology
• Vietnam National Fine Arts Museum
• Museum Batik Indonesia, Indonesian Heritage Agency
• Textile Museum Jakarta
• Timor Aid
• Department of National Heritage, Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture, Malaysia
• National Heritage Board, Singapore
• Truc Lam Handmade co., Inc.
• UNESCO-ICHCAP
• Asia Culture Center (ACC)
• ASEAN-Korea Centre
• The Embassies of ASEAN Member States to the Republic of Korea