SURAYIA RAHMAN

Surayia Rahman (1932–2018) was a visionary Bangladeshi textile artist who transformed the traditional nakshi kantha — once limited to domestic quilts — into a lyrical, high-art tapestry form. Trained largely through self-experience, Rahman believed deeply in kantha’s potential to transcend functional craft and convey stories, memory, and history through fine needlework. In the early 1980s, she co-founded Skill Development for Underprivileged Women (SDUW), using her art to empower economically marginalized women; later, she established her own studio, Arshi, to continue this mission of dignity, skill, and community. Her signature pieces are elaborate wall hangings embroidered on fine silk — not the recycled saris traditionally used — with bamboo-processed threads and refined motifs that tell stories drawn from folk life, poetry, and history. One of her most celebrated works is a triptych for the Pan Pacific Sonargaon Hotel in Dhaka, inspired by photographs from the Stella Kramrisch Collection, which helped pioneer the “nakshi kantha tapestry” genre. Another notable piece, Georgian Times (2003), is in the Textile Museum of Canada, illustrating her ability to weave colonial and cultural narratives. Rahman’s life and work are the subject of the acclaimed documentary Threads, which chronicles her journey and her transformative impact on women’s livelihoods through textile art. Her works today are held in leading institutions including the Bangladesh National Museum, the Textile Museum of Canada, the Fukuoka Asian Art Museum, and the Royal Collection Trust in the UK. Surayia Rahman remains a foundational figure in making nakshi kantha not just a craft, but a canvas for narrative, empowerment, and modern artistic expression.