Order and Disorder: Alighiero Boetti by Afghan Women

From 1971 to 1994, Italian artist Alighiero Boetti designed a large body of textile work, called the arazzi, which was hand-embroidered by Afghan women working first in Kabul, and then in refugee camps in Pakistan. The collaborative nature of these pieces place them at an intersection of Central Asian craft traditions and mid-to-late 20th century "high art," and this volume%E2%80%94published in conjunction with the exhibit at UCLA's Fowler Museum%E2%80%94is an excellent exploration of the artistic process and final works. Boetti's approach mirrors and exposes the realities of globalization, creating an ambiguity that "allows us to see not just a stunning historical accomplishment, but also something of ourselves." Certainly, there is something pleasing and beguiling in Ordine e Disordine, 199 brightly colored square embroideries hung opposite each other: 100 arranged in an orderly square pattern, and 99 chaotically poised in counterbalance. Similarly, a vivid, large, and seemingly abstract arazzi work from 1988-9, entitled Tutto ("Everything"), a kind of transnational collage, is actually composed of the contours of (mostly "Western") images such as wine bottles, sunglasses, and bikinis. Alighiero was lenient in his color schemes, allowing for creative leeway on the part of the women, and eventually, the artist fractured his own identity by splitting apart his first and last name with the Italian for "and," signing these compelling works "Alighiero e Boetti by Afghan People." Color photos. (Feb.)