The Distant Lands exhibition brings together a collection of textiles and traditional dresses from all four corners of the globe. From Central and West Africa come articles created by the Kuba, Ngeendé, Nngongo and Bushoong ethnicities, peoples which have for centuries processed materials such as raffia in such a way as to make them almost as hard wearing as any other fibre textile, while from the Asian regions of Western India, Rajastan and Gujarat come examples of materials which confirm the use of textiles as a real and proper social “media”.
The traditional Indonesian ikat and loom woven textiles included in the exhibition are examples of products which are now seen as symbols of social distinction, while the great Chinese silk manufacturing tradition is represented by a number of items of clothing and embroideries from the Qing dynasty (1644-1911).
Finally Oceania is represented by an 18th century manuscript report written on tapa, a non-woven textile  obtained from the bark of the “mulberry” and breadfruit trees used to drape royal robes, while from Mexico come items of clothing and accessories created by the Huichol ethnicity, products which clearly show the way that the culture of the Spanish  colonizers contaminated the indigenous peoples.