MATRILINEAL THREADS

02:00pm, Sun 22nd Feb 2026

MATRILINEAL THREADS

02:00pm, Sun 22nd Feb 2026

Matrilineal Threads honours the longstanding, often undervalued labour of women. This work has historically sustained households, preserved cultural knowledge, and built community. Drawing on Italian craft traditions and intergenerational textile practices, the exhibition reflects on how memory, skill and artistry move through time, carried by the hands of mothers, grandmothers and daughters.

At the centre of the exhibition are pieces created across three generations of women. Heirloom textiles sit alongside contemporary garments and visual artworks, positioning womenís domestic craft as both a record of the past and an active force in shaping the present. Rather than positioning these practices as domestic tasks, the exhibition recognises them as forms of artistry, emotional labour and cultural continuity.

The exhibition also includes a small retail component featuring artisan perfume and limited edition handbags by Valentina Valentino. These items extend the ideas of care, inheritance and material memory through wearable and sensory design, each created with intention and respect for its origins.

Matrilineal Threads invites visitors to reflect on the role womenís creativity has played in preserving traditions, building resilience and imagining future possibilities. It is an exhibition about what lasts and the ways knowledge and care are passed from one generation to the next.

Venue Details

Villa Alba Museum
44 Walmer St
Kew, VIC, 3101