Consciousness in Flux is a solo exhibition by Azerbaijani artist Faig Ahmed famous for his surrealist hand-woven rug sculptures that reimagine conventional techniques. Taking place at Maraya Art Centre in Sharjah, it presents the artist’s latest commission: Consciousness in Flux. Curated by Cima Azzam, the show was inaugurated by Sheikha Bodour Al Qasimi, Chairperson of Sharjah Investment and Development Authority (Shurooq), and will be open to the public until the 1st of August, 2024.
In his art, Ahmed breaks boundaries and deconstructs traditional formulas, producing multifaceted and dynamic artworks. Every carpet he designs combines traditional and contemporary elements: one is stable and the other is always in flux. Consciousness in Flux, a digital art piece, elevates this dichotomy and explores another dimension in Ahmed’s research into physiological and psychological mechanisms of perception.
Ahmed’s commissioned work raises a fundamental question: “How do we perceive art?”. It reflects the intricacies of how art impacts human experience through a data-driven head device. The device measures a visitor’s brain activity in real time, recording the brain’s response to Ahmed’s carpets on view. They are displayed in a dark space between two projections on either side of the gallery. Visitors are invited to wear a headset while looking at the exhibits and thus witness a recording of their brain activity as they admire Ahmed’s works.
The patterns describing the visitors’ brainwave activities are generated using the data from EEG, ECG, EMG, and eye-tracking technologies. The resulting data waves, which resemble carpet weavings, emerge from the interaction between the viewer and the art pieces. This exploration between mind and matter examines the uncharted territory of neuroscience and art, offering a deeper insight into the connection between perception and reality.
About the artist
Faig Ahmed (b. 1982, Sumqayit, Azerbaijan), who resides in Baku (Azerbaijan), graduated from the Azerbaijan State Academy of Fine Arts (Baku), where he studied sculpture, in 2004. Ahmed is widely known for his sculptural textiles that apply optical illusion, such as warping, glitching, melting, or pixelating, to traditional Islamic carpets. The artist uses computers to sketch his designs and chooses traditional weaving techniques to print them on carpets. The pieces are then produced by a group of weavers. In addition, Ahmed’s practice involves video and installation art.
Ahmed has showcased his creations in multiple exhibitions including The Playground (House of Art Georges & Claude Pompidou, Contemporary Art Center, Cajarc, France, 2023); Faig Ahmed: Pir (solo) (Sapar Contemporary Gallery, NY, USA, 2021); EXPO 2020 (Azerbaijan Pavilion, Dubai, 2021); Still Human (Colección SOLO, Madrid, Spain, 2020); Faig Ahmed: Dissolving Order (solo) (Aga Khan Museum, Toronto, Canada, 2020); Hannah Ryggen Triennial 2019: New land (National Museum of Decorative Arts, Trondheim, Norway, 2019); and others.
The artist’s creations are part of many esteemed public collections: the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (USA), Bargoin Museum (France), the National Gallery of Victoria (Australia), the National Museum of Art, Architecture and Design (Norway), and Istanbul Modern (Turkey), to name a few. The list of Ahmed’s achievements also includes being featured in his homeland’s first pavilion at the Venice Biennale in 2007 and being among the artists nominated for the Jameel Prize 3 at the V&A Museum in London (UK) in 2013.
To get more information about Consciousness in Flux, please visit the official web page of the show.
You might also be interested in seeing Golden Spider Silk, an exhibition at MIA. Besides, we recommend that you attend Immortal Mirror by Aref Montazeri at Leila Heller Gallery.
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