Amsterdam -- Lexar and Leica opened a photography exhibition on September 11, 2026, at Leica Gallery Amsterdam, titled Threads of Time: A Journey Through Silk and Lens.
The show documents Suzhou kesi, a traditional Chinese silk weaving craft, through the lens of Leica award-winning photographer Jing Huang. Huang's images follow Hao Naiqiang, known as Jingwei, a young kesi artist and custodian of the craft, as he works thread by thread to create intricate silk patterns.
Kesi weaving turns patience into visible art
Suzhou kesi differs from printed or embroidered textiles because artisans hand-weave each thread to build color and texture. Jingwei described the craft as one built on restraint, created within the order of warp and weft rather than through free gesture.
Huang's photography favors stillness over documentation
Huang's visual style draws on Chinese ink painting and small-format composition, focusing on negative space and balance rather than straightforward record-keeping. He said photography is sometimes about forgetting time, aiming instead to capture a sense of beauty that lingers beyond the moment it was taken.
Lexar frames the project around file preservation
Lexar's involvement centers on the idea that every photograph exists first as an original file requiring safe storage before it becomes an exhibition print or archive. Grace Su, General Manager of Europe at Lexar, said the company is exploring how craft, photography and reliable storage work together to preserve moments that cannot be recreated.
Curator ties the exhibit to human presence
Linda Warmerdam, Manager and Curator at Leica Gallery Amsterdam, said the project's value lies in the dialogue between the photographer's eye and the artisan's hand. She noted that visitors can experience Suzhou kesi as a living process shaped by time and patience, not just a finished heritage object.
Visitors to the gallery gain access to exhibition visuals, insight into Huang's shooting process, and opportunities to meet members of the project team, including representatives from Lexar, Leica and kesi artist Jingwei.