Sana Naqvi reminds us that “textiles are not limited to their physical value alone, but rather an entire set of experiences and feelings transmitted”. Textiles, beyond their material form, carry stories, memories, and the echoes of human experience. In Makwakwa’s practice, textiles are transformed into vibrant vessels of narrative and ritual. She works with natural fabrics like Umbhaco, enriching them with pigments derived from ochre and botanical dyes, interwoven with glass beads and embroidery. These materials - ancient in origin yet reimagined in contemporary forms - serve not merely as aesthetic choices, but as instruments of cultural transmission. In more recent works such as her textile totems and beaded talismans, Makwakwa incorporates wire and safety pins, expanding her visual language to reflect layered narratives. Each material bears symbolic weight: safety pins suggest improvisation and the act of holding together; cotton and natural dyes evoke intangible knowledge and Indigenous care; ochre resonates with ancestral memory; and beads become luminous conduits of ritual, connection, and ornamentation. Her work navigates the ongoing dialogue between modernity and tradition. In conversation, Makwakwa speaks of the grounding comfort found in domestic spaces. She recalls a trip to the rural Eastern Cape interiors where simple furnishings - a coal-burning stove, enamel cutlery, a wooden table, room dividers - reflect a delicate balance between tradition and the contemporary. Objects like tablecloths, tea sets, candles, and the bible embody continuity and care, anchoring domestic life in ritual and routine. Makwakwa’s textiles and soft sculptures celebrate this continuum: the ritual care of materials, the layering of ancestral and contemporary knowledge, and the weaving of history into tactile, intimate forms. Her work preserves maternal lineage, transmitting identity, memory, and culture across generations, while embracing the realities of modern life. It honors the simplicity and wisdom embedded in pre-colonial domesticity without romanticizing the past. The exhibition asks a central question: how do we engage with modernity without severing our roots? Materials provide the answer. Safety pins stitch fragments of memory together. Cotton softens and connects. Ochre anchors us to the land and our ancestors. Dyes speak of place. Beads map networks of care, beauty, and celebration. In Makwakwa’s hands, these materials become a living vocabulary where the ordinary is imbued with extraordinary meaning. One striking piece, That Thing Around Your Neck, composed of wire and safety pins, meditates on rhythm, routine, and the hidden resonances of domestic life. Here, simplicity is not absence, but presence - of thought, of touch, of intention. Domestic space becomes a site of negotiation, where past and present intersect, and where tradition meets human ingenuity. Umbhaco Oditshiweyo reflects on the art of balance. It affirms that tradition and modernity are not opposites but companions in dialogue. Through this body of work, visitors are invited to reflect on their own material worlds - the threads, pigments, and objects that structure daily life, link generations, and reconcile histories. In this interplay of material, space, and human intention, the exhibition offers a quiet but powerful meditation on belonging, continuity, and care. Source: Sana Naqvi,11 August 2024, Taarkashi - drawing matrilineal threads, Museum of material memory https://museumofmaterialmemory.com/taarkashi-drawing-matrilineal-threads/