The Whitworth’s new exhibition explores intertwined textile histories of Manchester, Korea and India

The Whitworth has unveiled a brand-new exhibition that unites newly commissioned works by eight contemporary artists from Korea and India with historic textiles from the gallery’s internationally renowned collection.

Hyundai Translocal Series: Entangled and Woven spans more than 400 years of making, tracing how fabric connects Manchester’s industrial past to global histories of craft, exchange and human connection.

Co-organised with the Cheongju Craft Biennale 2025, in collaboration with the National Crafts Museum & Hastkala Academy, and presented in partnership with Hyundai Motor Company, the collection explores how knowledge is carried across generations, borders and belief systems, through weaving, dyeing, embroidery and fibre-making.

The exhibition, which premiered at the Cheongju Craft Biennale 2025 and travelled to the National Crafts Museum & Hastkala Academy, will foreground artists whose practices are rooted in long-term research and collaboration, with many of the new works made through close collaboration with artisan communities across Korea and India.

Speaking about the exhibition, Professor Sook-Kyung Lee, Director of the Whitworth and Professor of Curatorial Practices at The University of Manchester, said: “It’s incredibly meaningful to welcome Hyundai Translocal Series: Entangled and Woven to the Whitworth after its journey through Cheongju and New Delhi. This exhibition has been shaped by movement — of people, ideas, skills and materials — and each location has added new layers to the conversation.

“Bringing it to Manchester allows us to place these contemporary works alongside the Whitworth’s textile collection and the city’s own industrial histories, while honouring the artists’ deep research and the care, labour and collaboration at the heart of their practices. This partnership has shown how textile traditions, when approached generously, can connect places and communities in ways that feel both rooted and profoundly contemporary.”

Hyundai Translocal Series: Entangled and Woven is on display at The Whitworth now until Sun 3 Jan. You can find more information about the works here.