| EXHIBITIONS PREVIEW

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‘provincial’ silk-on-silk embroideries (discussed elsewhere in this issue), which will also be the subject of his conference paper. It is unusual for something completely ‘new’ to appear on the market, and it is hoped that the publication and exhibition of this group will inspire someone to come forward with additional insights. With their engaging colours and ‘Ottomanesque’ designs, visitors should enjoy seeing these pieces, even if the mystery remains unsolved.

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To Have and to Hold – Art and Function in Transport and Storage Bags This is the ‘real world’ version of the ‘virtual world’ exhibition that appeared on the NERS website (www.ne-rugsociety.org) in early 2004. One might be tempted to think that an exhibition with such a narrow focus would be limited in scope, but this display, which includes 42 pieces from across the rug-weaving world, features bags in a broad array of techniques and formats. Some highlights include a richly coloured heybefrom Anatolia (4), and an Azerbayjani khorjin, notable for its stylised tree-oflife design in a whitecentral medallion. There is also an unusual Shahsavan bag from northwestern Iran, which may have been used as a sheath for shears (10, see HALI 40, pp.26-27). Storage and transport bags are popular with collectors for many reasons. Aesthetically, it is likely that bags, which were most often made for personal use and not for the market, represent the most traditional of designs. Also, bags were woven in many techniques, making

them interesting to study and compare to one another. Finally, because they are smaller than rugs, bags are easier to display than large rugs. Bags are also an ancient tradition. Curator Mike Tschebull points out that the earliest known storage and transport bags were found, preserved by ice, in the Pazyryk tombs in the Siberia, and date to the 5th century BC .

Demons & Decapitators – the Enigmatic Art of Ancient South American Coca Bags For the first time, ACOR 8 in Boston will feature an exhibition focused entirely on Pre-Columbian material, namely Tom Hannaher’s collection of some twenty ch’uspa

(coca bags) from ancient Peru. The exhibition will focus on the earlier Peruvian traditions including Sihuas, Nasca, and Wari, although there is also one interesting piece from the Chancay culture, and some unusual early Bolivian pieces as well. Most of the bags are figurative, reflecting Hannaher’s interest in the mysterious animal and humanoid iconography found in Pre-Columbian weaving (2). The pieces also feature a wide range of woven structures, including tapestry-weave, doublecloth, and knitted techniques. Hannaher likens these works to miniature paintings – where the artist strives to fit a strong aesthetic statement into a small frame. These bags, with their vibrant colours and strange figures, are proof positive that small doesn’t mean aesthetically insignificant.

Celebrations in Wool Finally, just across the street from Boston’s Park Plaza Hotel, ACOR and the New England Rug Society are collaborating with Landry & Arcari Oriental Rugs, a well-known New England dealership, to present an exhibition of antique Kurdish weavings from eastern Anatolia drawn from local collections. The bold colours and geometry of east Anatolian rugs have long made them favourites among collectors looking for a vigorous ‘village’ aesthetic. The show will include more than twenty pieces, ranging in size from long rugs to small yastıks. Among the featured pieces are a Shavak-area yastik, and Kurdish long rug.

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34 I HALI 144