A tribute to mothers around the world
Happy Mother’s Day!
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- Painting by Surayia Rahman, Bangladesh – The Flood
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- Nakshi Kantha tapestry designed by Surayia Rahman, Bangladesh
Nakshi Kantha tapestry inspired by the poetry of Rabindranath Tagore:
“When I bring you coloured toys, my child, I understand why there is such a play of colours on clouds, on water, and why flowers are painted in tints – when I give coloured toys to you, my child.”
Photographs used with the kind permission of Surayia’s friend in Italy.
Click the pictures for a large view.
Surayia Rahman, a self-taught artist in Bangladesh, painted and designed hundreds of tapestries that are now appreciated around the world. She is a mother herself, and also nurtured hundreds of young women in Bangladesh as she guided them to produce incredible embroidered tapestries. Though these women were very poor, their talents and new skills helped them to feed their families, send their children to school and university, rent a home or own a piece of land.
- For information on the documentary film in progress about Surayia’s art and life: KanthaThreads
- For more information on the works of Rabindranath Tagore, see Crescent Moon: When and Why and Child-Poems
I recently had the opportunity to see some of Surayia Rahman’s work “in the flesh”. The detail and amount of work that goes into her tapestries and paintings is amazing. If you ever have the opportunity to see her work, don’t miss it. I also found it very interesting to look at the back of the tapestry as there is another story that unfolds there.