Wednesday, June 17th 2026

Kantha and Phulkari: Women, Stitching, and a Divided Subcontinent

Through looking at imagery, motifs, stitch, and technique, this talk brings into dialogue two visually distinct yet historically connected embroidery traditions—kantha from Bengal and phulkari from Punjab. It examines how figuration, repetition, and use contribute to the construction of meaning. In doing so, it reveals the interlacing of domestic and public spheres: women were attentive to social and political realities beyond the household that often informed the stories they told in cloth. The talk traces a broad historical arc, from the late nineteenth century through the partition of India and Pakistan (1947), Bangladesh’s liberation (1971), and beyond, giving insights into the cultural and political significance of textiles in South Asia.

Darielle Mason, PhD, is Senior Curator Emerita of Asian Art at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Her curatorial and scholarly work spans South Asian art from antiquity to the present, with particular attention to how objects acquire meaning over time. She has curated three major exhibitions on embroidery traditions, including Kantha: The Embroidered Quilts of Bengal (recipient of the Alfred H. Barr Jr. Award for Museum Scholarship), Phulkari: The Embroidered Textiles of Punjab, for which she authored the essay ‘Identity and Transformation: The Politics of Embroidery in South Asia,’ and A Century of Kanthas: Women’s Quilts in Bengal, 1870s–1970s, which examined for the first time Bangladesh’s distinctive cross-stitch kanthas, known as galicha or ‘carpet’ kanthas. She now advises museums and private collections internationally.