Oiling, handmade woolen rug

Faig Ahmed is a sculptor and installation artist from Baku, Azerbaijan.  In his current practice, Ahmed uses fragments and patterns from traditional Azerbaijani rugs to create sculptures and installations that combine traditional and contemporary aesthetics.

In his carpet works, Ahmed keeps part of the original pattern and then weaves the remainder of the carpet into a different, often bizarre or surreal pattern. He sometimes cuts out pieces of carpets and rearranges them, or combines them with sculptural elements. I really enjoy the works where the carpet appears to be melting, or dissolving into glitches on a computer screen.

Shift, Azerbaijani embroidery and stainless steel

Ahmed’s sculptures are large, minimalist abstractions that also incorporate elements of the woven carpets and textiles. His installation works take the deconstruction even further – not all of these works use the textiles, but the ones that do reduce the weaving process to its barest components, allowing the viewer a deconstructed look inside. 

Pain, mixed media