A journey through silk and lens: LEXAR and Leica Gallery Amsterdam unite two crafts of patience and precision, in a collaboration where legends meet legacy.
From 11 to 15 September 2026, Leica Gallery Amsterdam presents ‘Threads of Time: A Journey Through Silk and Lens’, a five-day exhibition created in collaboration with LEXAR. The project brings two languages of light and texture into conversation — Leica’s century of handcrafted precision optics and the millennia-old art of Kesi silk weaving — both born from the same desire: to capture what is beautiful, what is true, and what must not be forgotten.
In every thread of Kesi, there is a story woven across dynasties. In every frame captured through a Leica lens, there is a moment preserved for eternity. This five-day exhibition brings two languages of light and texture into conversation — both speak of humanity’s eternal desire to capture what is beautiful, what is true, and what must not be forgotten.
Weaving light, preserving memory
Leica — A century of handcrafted precision optics. Chronicles of humanity, woven in threads of light through every lens.
Lexar — Engineered reliability, the silent guardian of digital heritage. Every byte, preserved with intent.
Kesi — “One inch of Kesi equals one inch of gold.” Millennia of meticulous hand-weaving, each thread a testament to patience.
Through the lens of Jing Huang and the loom of Jingwei, the exhibition invites visitors to witness a dialogue that transcends time, geography and medium. Each photograph is a thread; each tapestry, a frozen moment. Together, they form a narrative of devotion, precision and the enduring power of human creativity. The project follows Jing Huang, Leica Oskar Barnack Award-winning photographer, as he documents Jingwei, a Suzhou kesi artist, capturing the people, tools, textures and creative process behind the craft. Rather than presenting kesi only as a heritage object, the exhibition explores it as a living process shaped by hands, time and patience.
During this special weekend, visitors can experience the exhibition and its immersion of the senses through sight, sound, touch and scent.
This exhibition is on display at Leica Gallery Amsterdam from 11 – 15 September 2026.
Opening hours: Friday 11 September: Press Preview & Opening | Saturday 12 September: 10:00 – 18:00 | Sunday 13 September: 12:00 – 17:00 | Monday 14 September: 10:00 – 18:00 | Tuesday 15 September: 10:00 – 18:00
Jing Huang
Leica Oskar Barnack Award-winning photographer, whose work moves fluidly between portraiture and documentary. In this project, Huang turns his lens on Jingwei’s studio: the hands, the tools and the quiet discipline behind Kesi silk weaving. Rather than presenting the craft as a static heritage object, his images explore it as a living process, shaped by hands, time and patience.
Please use the red arrows to scroll through all the images.
Jingwei
A Suzhou kesi artist working in a tradition where, as the craft’s own saying goes, one inch of Kesi equals one inch of gold. Each tapestry is built thread by thread, a discipline measured in millennia rather than moments. In this exhibition, Jingwei’s tapestries enter into dialogue with Jing Huang’s photographs — silk and lens, two mediums, one shared pursuit of what is beautiful, true and worth preserving.
Please use the red arrows to scroll through all the images.
Leica Gallery Amsterdam
Contact
Manager/Curator: Linda Warmerdam
Email: [email protected]