It feels very appropriate that the carpet exhibition from the Swana region is staged in a gallery space that reverberates loosely in Mihrab, an architectural niche in the mosque, which is located in Mecca, the direction of Muslim prayers. The “highlights” of the permanent collection exhibition organized by the Birmingham Museum of Art unfold on three walls that place larger grooves on larger parade corridors. This spatial arrangement gives the prayer rug a direct sense of sacredness and reality, inviting the audience to believe what is seen is real – but trust begins to be revealed in a closer review.
The side of the gallery space is a seven carpet from the Dagstein Republic, Türkiye, Iran, Azerbaijan and the Caucasus, dating back to the 19th and 20th centuries. Although produced in different cultural and geographical settings, carpets are unified through a common synthesis of Islamic beliefs and regional traditions. Many have recurring visual patterns, such as Mihrabs and Fanoos (a range traditionally used during Ramadan and Eid), which feature their functions as pious objects, textiles, and full of reverence. The order of diversity of forms and origins is shown, demonstrating the wide geographical coverage and cultural influence of Islam. Among them, the most fascinating thing is kumkapi carpet with mihrab, glass lamp and floral pattern (c. 1910), woven with dyed silk, dyed cotton and metal thread. It glitters under the lighting of the gallery, and the ice cur of calligraphy writing shrinks on its radiant gold.
The parade was interrupted Shirvanshah (2024) Faig Ahmed. The carpet’s pattern and design runs from the walls, mimicking the historical examples around it, although in Ahmed’s the weaving is twisted, so it seems to dip it into the wall and seep into the wall and drain the gallery, a surreal manipulation of the textile, emphasizing the character of its engraving. The feeling of placing a contemporary artwork among a series of pious prayer objects is dissonant: shocked with the pious nature of the historical carpet. The central location of Ahmed carpet in the gallery and relatively spacious means it is impossible to escape its constant influence – it is a shocking authoritarian curatorial decision. When I see other artworks, I feel myself constantly looking back. This feeling is not relieved, but it is the context for this feeling due to the twist found in Ahmed’s work.
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Living in the “post-real” era is living in an era of constant speculation in history. Many contemporary efforts use history as an optimistic expansion site, namely expanding Canon by enhancing underserved demographic information. But this speculative study can also be evil. Continuing to develop historical traditions and turning them into environments in the contemporary moments will always lead to net positive? This exhibition seems to be another.
I feel respected by Ahmed any Historical views will be distorted. Just as the global projection onto a two-dimensional plane, it is impossible to present all aspects of the earth in an impartial way. Then, the key is to confirm these twists and choose the ones that can be used for the best twists.
It is worth noting that Shirvanshah Running along the ground towards the audience is not manipulated. It will itself pass by as a prayer rug itself. Almost unrecognizable is the part hanging from the wall. In this way, Ahmed, who represented Azerbaijan in the 2007 Venice Biennale, provided space for pious practice, but created discord for the things people prayed for. There Shirvanshah Advocate for the maintenance of religious customs while constantly questioning the people we trust.
Birmingham Museum of Art until April 13, 2025, “Lighting Thread: Contemporary and Traditional Carpets” held at the Birmingham Museum of Art.
