The Karen people (pronounced Kah-Ren) are an ethnic minority group forced to escape Myanmar due to persecution. In 2013, master weaver, Sara Lindsay led a tapestry training program at the Australian Tapestry Workshop for a group of Karen women living in Melbourne. Sara maintains an active creative relationship with four women who emerged from this program, Cha Mai Oo, Mu Naw Poe, Paw Gay Poe and Shuklay Tahpo. The weavers do not work from pre-determined designs. They have a rich tradition of weaving in their culture, and they proudly wear traditional clothing at all celebrations. However, the vibrant designs that appear in their tapestries are a long way from the neat, repetitive patterns of their traditional cloth. The designs come from the weavers’ imagination and the constraints and possibilities of the tapestry process.
A Harmony Fest Ballarat event presented by the Eureka Centre. Museum entry fees apply. Open daily 10am to 5pm, closed Christmas Day and Boxing Day.
Image: Shuklay Tahpo, ‘Self portrait with stripes’, 2020 (detail), cotton and acrylic, Photo: Tim Gresham
