The Afghan Carpet Project features six carpets designed by L.A.-based contemporary artists—Lisa Anne Auerbach, Liz Craft, Meg Cranston, Francesca Gabbiani, Jennifer Guidi, and Toba Khedoori—which were handmade by weavers in Afghanistan. The exhibition is the culmination of a project that began with a trip to Afghanistan to visit weavers in Kabul and Bamiyan in March 2014. (Read journal excerpts from the trip.) The trip provided the artists with insight into the craft and the production process, as well as the living and working conditions for the weavers. Following the trip, each artist came up with an original design for her carpet—some reflecting upon the experience, and others derived out of the artists’ respective practices. The project was initiated by the not-for-profit organization AfghanMade, along with carpet producer Christopher Farr, Inc. with the goal of collaborating with women weavers in Afghanistan. All profits from carpet sales (after fabrication costs are recovered) will benefit Arzu Studio Hope, an organization that established weaving studios in Afghanistan, which provide fair wages, education, and healthcare to Afghan women. The show will also include photo documentation of the trip, shot by Auerbach.
This exhibition is organized by curator Ali Subotnick with Emily Gonzalez-Jarrett, curatorial associate.