18/05/2026
Now open at Leighton House, 'Facets in Resonance' by British Bangladeshi artist Kamilah Ahmed is a mixed-media embroidered textile arch that reframes the Arab Hall.
The work draws on Bangladeshi textile traditions such as Jamdani weaving, where embroidery floats across a warp. Kamilah combines these influences with large-scale hand-wrapped silk warp structures, supported by an undulating, hand-bent brass frame and banana fibre.
Panels of hundreds of leather tile elements frame peacock eyes that emerge from the silk warps, translating them into sculptural, three-dimensional textile forms.
The work references the Arab Hall’s decorative elements, including tile patterns, divan marquetry inlay, and mashrabiya screens, drawing on traditional Islamic decorative arts to celebrate the enduring value of artisanal practice.
🔷 Facets in Resonance by Kamilah Ahmed (15 May to 30 July 2026)
✨ As part of The Arab Hall: Past and Present (21 March to 4 October 2026)
📍 At Leighton House, Kensington, London, W14 8LZ
🔗 https://www.rbkc.gov.uk/museums/the-arab-hall-past-and-present
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Kamilah Ahmed’s work is the second of three consecutive art installations to form part of the interdisciplinary project ‘The Arab Hall: Past and Present’, including a short film, exhibition display and new publication.
The Arab Hall: Past and Present has been shaped and informed by the work of the Arab Hall Advisory Panel.
The project has been supported by Cockayne Grants for the Arts, the DCH Foundation, the museum's Exhibition Circle and The Friends of Leighton House. The promotion and outreach for the programming of 100 Years of Leighton House have been supported by the CORA Foundation. Exhibition Public Programme Partner: Community Jameel.
Photography courtesy of Jaron James.
