Chinese Patchwork

Tracing the rich tradition of Chinese patchwork art in domestic and rural spaces, from its ancient origins to its contemporary manifestations

Patchwork design has a long history in China, dating back almost two thousand years to the arrival of Buddhism in the region. Across millennia, a thread can be followed from spiritual practitioners embracing patchwork textiles as a visual expression of their beliefs to patchwork’s use in secular culture, where it was prized for its protective powers. Eventually, patchwork became a form of domestic decoration--and an outlet for artistic ingenuity--that continues in some areas of China’s countryside today.
Chinese Patchwork explores the creativity of 20th- and 21st-century Chinese makers who stitch fabric remnants into functional, decorative and auspicious articles for use in their homes and by their families. These objects display a wide variety of designs, patterns and techniques, and reflect both local tendencies and the individual aesthetics of the makers. Through a series of scholarly essays, museum curator Nancy Berliner illuminates the tradition and history behind the art form, as well as its links to Chinese visual culture; these texts are illustrated by stunning reproductions of lively and colorful patchwork examples. Interviews with contemporary makers offer readers firsthand insight into the practice and its intricacies. Additional photographs of the artists, their families and their works in situ by American photographer Lois Conner beautifully illustrate patchwork’s bold visual presence in rural China.