State of Fashion 2024 presents Tradition(al) by Sunny Dolat

State of Fashion 2024 presents Ties that Bind a dynamic exploration of creativity in fashion, textiles, and contemporary art from across the Global South. Curated by Louise Bennetts and Rachel Dedman, this Biennale embraces a decentralised approach, unfolding not only in Arnhem, the Netherlands but also across three sister sites in Nairobi, Kenya, Bengaluru, India, and São Paulo, Brazil.

Interlocutor-curators Sunny Dolat, Kallol Datta, and Hanayrá Negreiros have been entrusted with developing projects that reflect the Biennale's themes within their local contexts and communities. The event raises critical questions: How do artists from the Global South confront and contest colonial legacies entrenched in clothing and cloth? How do designers navigate inherited traditions while addressing the pressing issues of our time? Rooted in the intimate essence of fabric, Ties that Bind aims to amplify the interconnectedness among global practices and share the compelling human narratives interwoven into our clothing.

Curated by Sunny Dolat, Tradition(al) seeks to spotlight, unravel, and celebrate the intricate codes and nuances of tradition and the traditional as they manifest and are expressed in fashion across Africa. By exploring the works and practices of various contemporary custodians of tradition across the continent, like Papa Oppong, Lukhanyo Mdingi, Dickens Otieno, Johanna Bramble, Tradition(al) draws attention to the diverse spectrum of materials, expressions, silhouettes, and knowledge systems that have, in surviving to this day and age, resisted the oppressions of imperial erasure, thus standing the ultimate test of time. These are continuing their own paths while beginning new life cycles as they and their practitioners embrace, evolve, interrogate or dismantle the ideas of tradition and the traditional in unique ways.

Sunny Dolat

Sunny Dolat is a fashion curator, cultural producer, creative director and co-founder of The Nest Collective. He was a Consultant Researcher for the exhibition Africa Fashion at the Victoria and Albert Museum.

Exhibition Details:

State of Fashion 2024 Tradition(al)
Nairobi - Circle Art Gallery
Opening Preview: April 3, 6:30 pm, 2024
Exhibition Dates: April 4, 2024 – April 14, 2024

State of Fashion Biennale 2024 | Ties that Bind
17 May - 30 June 2024 Arnhem - Rembrandt Theater, Velperplein 10, 6811 AS Arnhem, the Netherlands

About State of Fashion:

State of Fashion 2024: Ties that Bind brings together creative practices in fashion, textiles and contemporary art from across the Global South. Curated by Louise Bennetts and Rachel Dedman in collaboration with Sunny Dolat, Kallol Datta and Hanayrá Negreiros, this decentralised edition unfolds across Arnhem, Nairobi, Bengaluru and São Paulo, exploring the complexities of tradition, the power of indigenous knowledge, and the political potential of clothing.

More information about the programme of State of Fashion 2024 can be found on the website: stateoffashion.org

For more information, images and/or interview options, please contact press@stateoffashion.org