Looking to brush up your knowledge of textile arts from around the globe?
HALI, meaning ‘carpet’ in Turkish, is a quarterly publication that delivers the need-to-know on the rug and textile art market of all cultures and periods.
More than just a physical publication, HALI also operates as a website summing up the latest in rug and textile news, trends, opinions, reviews, auctions, shopping, tours and more. If you don’t already, we recommend you click subscribe on their newsletter and hit like and follow on their social media pages.
One of our favourite series in the ‘News’ section of HALI’s website is their ‘Anatomy of an Object’. Here they present an object and take an in-depth look at its history, design and characteristics. Essentially, you get to know why an object looks the way it does.
For example, in their recent post, ‘Anatomy of an Object: A ‘Lotto’ Arabesque Rug’ we discover that ‘Lotto’ rugs were made between the late-15th and early-18th centuries. Lotto rugs are named after a specific Renaissance painting by the Italian artist Lorenzo Lotto, namely The Charity of Saint Anthony – an altarpiece of 1542 which can be found in the church of San Giovanni e Paolo in Venice, Italy.
HALI also works fervently to keep us up-to-date with what’s contemporary in the world of textiles. In June of this year, a HALI reporter visited a new gallery near Sloane Square, London, which places carpets and textiles at the heart of its shows. Afridi Gallery displays furniture and objects d’art from well-known 20th-century names, such as Italian architect and designer Carlo Mollino, Dutch designer Louis Kalff and Finnish designer Alvar Aalto, alongside works that gallery-owner Shahbaz Afridi designs and makes with craftsmen based in the UK.
Another Barnebys favourite is HALI’s ‘Photo Album’ in the ‘Tours’ section of their website, where they provide text and photo essays from their recent travels. As perfect destinations for textiles lovers, in these articles it’s (almost) as if we’re on tour with HALI ourselves. Be careful though: enviously scrolling these photos, it’s all too easy to lose track of time.
With beautiful photos and text that’s informative but easy to digest, HALI is the one-stop shop when it comes to rug and textile arts education. You really need look no further.
