How do we call out to each other across the diaspora? Textiles exist at the heart of craft in both Ghana and the Philippines. Beyond functional utility, they provide spiritual protections, strengthen sense of self, and are archival testaments to pre- and post-colonial histories and cultural resiliency. They possess the ability to visually communicate that which cannot be easily articulated. The exhibition Yebehyia Biom • Hálong • Until Then features works from Ghanian fashion designer Halimatu Sadia Mohammed and Filipina/Mestiza textile maker Dinah Gaston. The collection presented traces memories and deep familial histories to impart personal stories of identity, migration, displacement, and belonging. Together, they consider the connective properties of textiles in communicating with strangers, new friends, and loved ones in the homeland and across the diaspora. Yebehyia Biom, or “we’ll meet again” in Akan, Hálong or “take care” in Hiligaynon, and “until then” in the artists’ shared language of English. These are phrases of acknowledgement, parting, and promise. The exhibition, a textile collection of calls, offers visions of connection, recognition of self and each other in stories and experiences, through which diasporic distance can be shortened. Curated by Thea Sleight, Esplanade Arts & Heritage Centre. On view at Esplanade Project Space located on the exterior façade of the Esplanade Arts & Heritage Centre, on the corner of 2nd St and 4th Ave.
