Threads: The Art and Life of Surayia Rahman

2014

30min

An unconventional Bangladeshi woman liberates herself and hundreds of others from social and economic hardships by creating timeless works of art. World leaders such as Queen Elizabeth II and Kim Il-Sung were given her art, yet she is virtually unknown in her own country. Surayia Rahman, one of the first women artists of Bangladesh, looked to her own inspiration and ancient kantha quiltwork to support her bedridden husband and her children. But she never expected that destitute young mothers would come searching for her, nor that the elaborate art that they created together would find its way to royalty, museums and private collections around the world.