Boro - The Art of Necessity

Jackets, sweaters, blankets and quilts were repaired, reinforced and reworked for generations. Textiles were made by combining layers upon layers of home-made hemp fabrics, worn-out garments, rags and recycled thread.

For a long time boro was considered a shameful reminder of poorer times in Japan. A century later, everything has changed, and boro objects are now copied by luxury fashion brands and showcased as art in international art galleries. As the first museum in Europe, the Museum of Far Eastern Antiquities is showing a world unique collection of boro objects loaned from the Amuse Museum in Tokyo. The collection has previously been exhibited in New York, Beijing and Sydney

The exhibition also features Swedish artists that have been invited to create their own interpretation of boro. Newly produced works by fashion brand Rave Review and poet Burcu Sahin are on view, as well as music by Miriam Berhan, Nadine Byrne, Tanya Byrne and Marlena Salonen. The Swedish-Japanese artist Takao Momiyama’s contemporary boro objects are also shown. Among the 100 boro objects, a selection of patched and mended clothes from Swedish museum collections are also on display.

Boro - The Art of Necessity is on display 30 March 2021 - 9 January 2022.