Bukhara to Cape Town Suzani Textiles
Since April 2012
To work with heavenly silk textiles has been a lifelong dream and longing of mine that has finally come to fruition. I am very blessed to have been passionately involved in collecting Suzanis, and spreading Suzani awareness and appreciation since 2012. Silk has held a special fascination and magic for me since childhood when I looked after my own silkworms, fed them mulberry leaves and watched them patiently spinning golden silky, papery hearts on cardboard shapes. The wonder of colour and the fascinating patterns observed in nature have been a lifelong source of inspiration to me. I studied Textile Design and its History at the University of Stellenbosch. I was fascinated to learn about the Ancient Silk Road and all the textiles which traveled along it from the East to the West, and I have loved these silken fabrics and their story ever since . In 2012 I was captivated by a photograph of a Suzani on The Textile Blog. I commented on its beauty, and soon after I found myself speaking directly to the owner of "The Little Silk Road Shop" in Bukhara Azizbek Gulyamov in the very heart of the Ancient Silk Road in Uzbekistan. Within a month I held in my hands, with enormous joy, my first own Suzani, and thus began my direct connection with their fascinating and unique world. In 2013 I visited Uzbekistan to experience this heart of the Ancient Silk Road first-hand. The more I learned and explored this hidden world of Suzani, the more it enchanted me. This is a story that has withstood the passage of time, and has been passed down through women since those early days. Every phase has contributed to the spirit of this art. Each authentic Suzani tells a quiet story to those who understand. Her language is one of motives and colour that speaks magical messages that have grown and has been transformed over generations, but still continue to express the same feeling. Having grown up in a time of machine printed textiles, I am exhilarated by the sheer exuberance, beauty, craft and elegance of these Suzani embroideries. I find it thrilling that in this high speed technological time of endless distractions and such lack of "slow- time", there are still women who quietly and patiently practice this same, pure craft of the so many generations of women before them. I love the fact that throughout the ages women have gained great respect, personal recognition and pride through the excellence of their embroidered art work. Since the independence of Uzbekistan from Russia in the early 90's it has been an enormous joy for these women to be free at last to embroider the traditional designs and motives carried down to them through many centuries once again, and to be able to celebrate the magic of Suzani freely. It is my passion to help keep this art form alive by importing and selling Suzanis in Cape Town. I have a large selection, and have given a series of talks on the subject. The profits I make from selling Suzanis go towards curating and assembling a unique Collection which represents a cross-section of high-quality contemporary Suzanis, made during the last 20 years. I have all the Suzanis in my care recorded by a professional photographer to keep a digital record. I am enormously privileged to have been able to exhibit my Collection of Suzanis in 2016 alongside Irma Stern's work in her unique home as a homage to the women of Suzanikari and the Ancient Silk Road. 18 Cape Town women artists took part in this exhibition of " A Sisterhood through Suzani" and shared their own interpretation of Suzani, the garden of Eden and the quiet magical language of Suzani. Manina Baumann
I have a large Collection of Suzanis at my home in Cape Town in the " Suzani Room " for sale. Please call me on 0824927972 to come and experience their Beauty and Magic for yourself. Manina Baumann
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