Faig Ahmed
The work of
- ArtistFaig Ahmed
SALLY TRIER His carpets take something traditional and familiar and turn it into something completely new. Even though it’s clearly art, many of them still keep a functionality that makes them even more interesting, they work both as something you could hang on a wall and as something you could walk on. I especially like how he rethinks the whole format. It’s a transformation that keeps challenging what we think we know.
About Faig Ahmed
Faig Ahmed is an Azerbaijani artist whose work reimagines traditional carpet-weaving in unexpected ways. Born in Baku, he has brought global attention to the country’s centuries-old carpet-weaving traditions by reinventing them in conceptual ways. His work has been shown around the world - from the Venice Biennale to solo exhibitions in New York, London, Paris, Dubai, and beyond - establishing him as a key figure in bridging tradition and cutting-edge contemporary practice. What makes Ahmed’s story compelling is his ability to stand at the intersection of heritage and experimentation, using art to question how cultures evolve while honoring the craftsmanship that shaped them.
Ahmed is best known for his carpets - familiar at first glance, but transformed into something entirely new. He starts with traditional Azerbaijani rug patterns, then digitally distorts them, allowing motifs to appear as though they are melting, pixelating, glitching, or slipping out of place. These surreal disruptions make the rugs feel alive, as if they were caught between two worlds: the precision of ancient craft and the instability of modern digital culture.
Ahmed also works across painting, video, and installations, always exploring perception, illusion, and the hidden codes of ornament. By doing so, he turns something as domestic and decorative as a carpet into a profound commentary on identity, time, and transformation - art that resonates visually and conceptually.
Consciousness in Flux
Faig Ahmed is currently pushing the boundaries of his practice with Consciousness in Flux, unveiled at Maraya Art Centre in Sharjah, UAE. In this project, the audience becomes part of the artwork itself. Visitors wear EEG and eye-tracking devices while experiencing Ahmed’s carpets and projections in a darkened gallery space. Their brain activity, heart rate, and eye movements are recorded in real time, generating patterns that resemble woven threads of thought and perception.
The outcome is a living dialogue between viewer and artwork - a tapestry of consciousness that reveals how art both shapes and is shaped by the human mind. Blending neuroscience with tradition, Ahmed creates a groundbreaking space where heritage and technology meet.
