Internationally recognised as the genius behind the striking conceptual carpets, visual artist #FaigAhmed uses traditional carpets as tools to translate his cultural heritage into a new design language. Born and raised in Azerbaijan, Ahmed recalls his first memory repurposing a carpet – “As any other Azeri family we had carpets everywhere. One day when my parents left for the countryside, I decided to change the places of the patterns and cut the carpet into pieces.”

Deconstructions of the traditional carpet take many forms in Ahmed’s work from being pixelated, optically distorted and melted, he makes one of the most enduring cultural artifacts a present-day artistic wonder. Using a computer to first sketch his designs, the textile patterns are materialised by a team of local weavers who bring his unique carpet forms to life. Maintaining the ancient technique of carpet weaving, Ahmed delicately balances his roots in his creative process.

His determination to deconstruct and reassemble the conventional composition of the classical carpet however, has occasionally been perceived as controversial. The intricate creation of the Azerbaijani carpet dates to the 2nd millennium. A craft that developed within a certain set of rules and constraints, carpet-weaving was a definitive component of Azerbaijani tradition.

Interweaving culture and community into the patterns, meant deviating from the customary process was a sign of disrespectful. In fact, for him, finding traditional weavers was no easy task. Given the historic symbolism behind the craft, it was difficult to find artisans willing to deviate from the process of creating the antiquity. In 2006, when Ahmed approached carpet weavers, he was met with stern no’s – many claimed that money was meaningless to them if it meant destroying tradition. With persistent search, Ahmed found cooperating weavers in the country, albeit under the condition that they remain anonymous.

Featured in exhibitions worldwide, many applaud Ahmed’s artistry for bridging the gap between Eastern and Western art forms and blurring the boundaries between art and craft.