Azernews.Az

By Alimat Aliyeva

The exhibition Beyond Memory, which opened at QGallery on October 30 as part of the “Fly to Baku. Art Weekend. Feel the Future NOW” programme, features carpet collections by Azerbaijani artists Faig Ahmed and Farid Rasulov, created in collaboration with Azerkhalcha OJSC.

The exhibition explores how cultural memory is preserved and reshaped through materials, spaces and everyday experiences. The distinct artistic approaches of Ahmed and Rasulov demonstrate how traditional heritage can acquire new meanings and forms of expression in contemporary art.

The exhibition is curated by Emin Mammadov.

Faig Ahmed’s From Sketch to Carpet collection traces the creative journey from an initial artistic concept to a finished handwoven carpet.

Produced as a limited edition, the collection comprises seven designs, with 10 pieces of each: Turquoise, Goychay; Midnight, Gonaqkand; Spring, Goychay; Rose, Goychay; Ink, Goychay; Crystal, Goychay; and Magenta, Gonaqkand.

Inspired by the Quba and Western Azerbaijan schools of carpet weaving, the pieces are crafted from a blend of wool and silk threads. Traditional motifs are reinterpreted through digital distortions, optical illusions, melting effects and pixelated elements, creating a striking dialogue between heritage and contemporary visual language.

Farid Rasulov’s collection, Knots That Keep Stories Alive: Karabakh Carpets, features six designs: The Tale of the White Horse and Birds, The Legend of the Karabakh Horse, The Pattern of Grace, Echoes of Golden Feathers, The Tiger in the Knots, and Pomegranate, Crown of the Night.

Made from a wool and silk blend using a three-dimensional weaving technique, the carpets combine the ornamental language of the Karabakh carpet-making tradition with contemporary visual storytelling.

All the carpets featured in both collections were handwoven by experienced female artisans at Azerkhalcha's regional workshops, highlighting the continued importance of traditional craftsmanship in contemporary artistic practice.

While Ahmed explores the visual structure of carpets and the transformative possibilities of traditional ornamentation, Rasulov approaches the medium as a vehicle for cultural memory and storytelling.

Rather than presenting cultural heritage as a fixed remnant of the past, Beyond Memory examines it as a living, evolving process capable of generating new meanings and artistic expressions.

Through the works of Ahmed and Rasulov, the exhibition brings together traditional Azerbaijani carpet weaving and contemporary artistic vision, offering a fresh perspective on the enduring relevance of the country's rich cultural heritage.