Exhibition - Afghan War Rugs at the Nickle Arts Museum
Made in Afghanistan:
Rugs and Resistance, 1979-2005
The Nickle Arts Museum, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Curated by Robert Fyke and Michele Hardy
February 25 - May 31, 2006
 AK-47s, tanks, grenades, and helicopters are common motifs woven into what are known as Afghani War Rugs.
Traditionally, the pile woven carpets made by Afghan tribal groups included symbols more often associated with life and faith than death and war. However, beginning with the Soviet Invasion of 1979, weavers have incorporated imagery that is at once disturbing and defiant. The events surrounding the period of Taliban rule and American Occupation have, similarly, provided fodder for woven imaginations.
"This exhibition brings together rugs from the Jean and Marie Erikson collection as well as several private collections, and traces the recent political situation in Afghanistan. It offers a poignant view of Afghani resistance and cultural survival against a backdrop of violence and
turmoil" says the Curator of Decorative Arts Michele Hardy to Jozan
Magazine.
Location: The Nickle Arts
Museum,
434 Collegiate Blvd NW, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Jozan Magazine 16 February 2006
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