Threads of Life Textiles

A pua kumbu is made from two panels of ikat cloth that are sewn together into a larger blanket called pua. It is used as a decorative hanging during harvest ceremonies among the Dayak of Kalimantan called Gawai, where it may be hung or used as the blanket upon which offerings are placed for the ancestor. Kumbu refers to the red color of the textile derived from the bark of the root of Morinda citrifolia tree. The mordant process used to achieve the red dye is complex as it requires many different plants from the forest.

In Bali, cloth is more than fabric — it is a bridge between sekala and niskala, the seen and the unseen. Textiles such as bebali and cepuk are woven into daily offerings, rituals, and ceremonies, carrying stories of spirituality, community, and place.⁠
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For this upcoming Feature Friday, we invite you to explore how Balinese cloth traditions continue to hold cultural, spiritual, and communal life together.⁠
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Join us for an afternoon of sharing and learning at our gallery in Lungsiakan, Sayan, on Friday, June 19.