BURMESE Gold thread embroidered hanging (c. 1900) (Shwe jee doe kalaga) cotton, felt, metal (sequins), gilt-thread, glass (beads), (embroidery, appliqué) (165.0 x 440.5 cm) National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne Gift of Marg Stephens and family, 2025

Burmese Textiles and the shwe jee doe kalaga

Presented by National Gallery of Victoria

DETAILS

Free, no booking required

Exhibition space, level 1
National Gallery of Victoria, Saint Kilda Road, Melbourne VIC, Australia

DATES

Tue 19 May 12.30 – 1pm

Learn about the shwe jee doe kalaga – a spectacular embroidered textile crafted in Myanmar (Burma), the name of which translates to ‘gold thread embroidered hanging’ – currently on display at NGV International, and hear how it illustrates the deep influence of Buddhism on daily life.

NGV curator Wayne Crothers shares how this monumental, over four meter long, Burmese embroidery provides us with insights into late nineteenth-century Burmese society, religious beliefs, politics and craftsmanship.

Participants

Wayne Crothers
Wayne Crothers is Senior Curator, Asian Art at the National Gallery of Victoria (NGV). He spent a total of eighteen years living in Japan, including two years at Kyoto Seika University researching traditional Japanese art practices, completed a two-year Master of Fine Art Degree at Tama Art University in Tokyo, and lectured for six years at Musashino Art University in Tokyo. Recent exhibitions include Terracotta Warriors: Guardians of Immortality (2019), Cai Guo-Qiang: The Transient Landscape (2019) and Japanese Modernism (2020).