The Los Angeles County Museum of Art will open ‘Textile Alchemy: The Art of Reiko Sudō and NUNO’ on September 20, 2026, presenting an in-depth survey of the Japanese designer’s work and her long-running engagement with textile innovation. The exhibition was organized by LACMA.
According to the museum’s September update, Sudō’s practice brings together tradition and experimentation, as well as handicraft and technology. The exhibition places those approaches at the center of a focused presentation devoted to Sudō and NUNO, the textile company named in the exhibition title. The museum describes Sudō as an acclaimed Japanese designer who has pioneered innovative textiles.
The exhibition is part of LACMA’s fall program, which also includes exhibitions, film screenings, talks and workshops across the museum’s Los Angeles campus. LACMA is located at 5905 Wilshire Boulevard and has highlighted the opening alongside its invitation for members to attend advance previews.
Member previews for ‘Textile Alchemy’ are scheduled for September 17–19, ahead of the public opening on Sunday, September 20. The museum’s announcement does not provide a public closing date for the exhibition. It also identifies major support from Japanese Friends of LACMA and Ellen A. Michelson, with additional support from Geraldine Chung, the Contemporary Projects Endowment Fund, Kikka Hanazawa, Michelle Lu and the Pasadena Art Alliance.
A textile-focused program is scheduled in connection with the opening. The Ninth R.L. Shep Triennial Symposium on Textiles and Dress, titled ‘Fashioning Chinese Women and Reiko Sudō,’ will take place on September 20 at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures. The symposium is listed separately from the LACMA exhibition and is supported by the R.L. Shep Symposium Endowment for Costume and Textiles, with additional support from Textile Museum Associates of Southern California.
The museum’s published image credits identify a Sudō work made for NUNO in collaboration with Saitō Sangyō Co., Ltd.: ‘Nami osa’ (‘Wavy Reed,’ also identified as ‘Reed Ripple’), dated 1997 and held in the LACMA collection. The work was purchased with funds provided by Sue Tsao. LACMA credits the NUNO Corporation and museum photography for the image.
