In the studio with Faig Ahmed in Baku, Azerbaijan

I just returned from a short trip Baku, Azerbaijan for the opening of the Yarat contemporary art centre. It was a wonderful experience to see the sights and sounds of the Caspian and a treat to witness the opening of a fabulous exhibition of Shirin Neshat’s work. I will bring you more news on that in the next couple of days but in the mean time, here is an interview I did with Faig Ahmed, one of Azerbaijan’s leading artists, famous for his carpet work that plays with our perception.

Anna Seaman: Can you tell me about the process for making your carpets?

Faig Ahmed: Everything starts in my mind and then I design it on the computer. I work with the tradiational Azeri weavers to get the final product so the next stage is mapping it out on engineering paper so that the weavers can understand it. It is all done by a mathematical formula.

AS: Is part of your artistic aim to keep the tradition of weaving alive in Azerbaijan?

FA: Well no, it is not the goal but it is one of the positive things happening in parallel. It is bringing attention to them. The important thing is that I work with natural material and natural dye because this is the thing that is now disappearing within the craft.

AS: Why do you choose carpets as your medium?

FA: Carpets are a social system. They have always been in the home and their patterns are a symbol or a mandala; a kind of a magic object in our house. Their symmetry brings a sense of stability. Everything else in life is unstable; nature, the community and society but carpets never change, that’s why everyone relates to them. That is why I like carpet because through it you can see many different elements of society.

AS: But your art changes this symmetry and therefore the stability; is that the point?

FA: It is very difficult to work with carpet, not just the material but the design as well. It is hard to find the right colours and patterns and a weaver must stick to the pattern. It appeals to everyone because it accesses the subconscious. When I add glitches and errors into the carpets, it is as if I am directly accessing the subconscious of the people who look at that, which I find very interesting. You either like it or you don’t like it and many people don’t like it - they think the art of the carpet is untouchable.

AS: Well, I think it is wonderful and I really enjoy seeing it.

FA: Thank you very much.

AS: Let’s talk about Yarat. It is a non-profit art platform that last year opened studios in Baku for you and other artists to work from. How important has that been for your career?

FA: For me it has helped but I had already developed my practice before Yarat. The younger artists are the one who really benefit from Yarat. It is very important for those just starting their careers and gives them a great opportunity. The first thing that Yarat gives is education, which is not just for artist but for everyone – this is very important for society. Yarat also takes these artists abroad which is a chance to have a conversation with the world.

AS: Finally, what are you working on right now?

FA: At the moment I am entering the next phase of my career so I have stopped production for a while and I will take some time over the summer to go to the mountains and collect my thoughts. Sometimes I just have to get away from all the information and structure everything in my mind to the point of clarity. I really want to give everything that I have to what I am doing so I have to explore myself first of all before thinking about the reaction to my work.

• You can find out more about Faig Ahmed on his website: www.faigahmed.com

• For more information on Yarat visit www.yarat.az