De Beers partners with artisan Shakunona Parata for exhibition

De Beers, a global diamond company, has partnered with Botswana-based master basket weaver Shakunona Parata for the Homo Faber 2026 exhibition. Parata, a member of the Ngamiland Basket Weavers, will demonstrate her traditional weaving techniques and present a new sculptural work called Diware, created in collaboration with Beullah Serema and Peter Mabeo of Mabeo Studio.

The Homo Faber exhibition, curated by Artistic Director Es Devlin, explores the relationship between light, materials, and creativity. De Beers and Mabeo Studio aim to highlight the intersection of craft, design, and culture through the work of artisans from around the world. Parata's basket-weaving techniques, passed down through generations from her mother and grandmother, draw inspiration from locally gathered materials and her personal connection to the Okavango River.

The Diware sculpture, featuring natural materials such as woven palm leaves, porcupine quills, carved wood, and semi-precious stones, embodies the convergence of maker and material, individual and community, and people and place. De Beers' participation in Homo Faber underscores their appreciation for craft skills and organic materials rooted in the same landscape as natural diamonds.