This exhibition features selections from The Fyke Collection of Afghan War Rugs in the collection

of The Nickle Arts Museum along with examples of weaponry and other artifacts from the collection of the Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry Museum and Archives. Complementing the exhibition is a website www.ucalgary.ca/fyke_war_rugs which features 48 textiles produced by Afghan weavers in response to over three decades of war.

 

BACKGROUND:

 

The first war rugs were likely woven in western Afghanistan after the arrival of the Soviets in 1979.

Weavers replaced traditional motifs with representations of tanks, guns, helicopters and the occasional soldier, inaugurating a genre of expressive, contemporary textiles referred to as “war rugs.” They reflect the profound political, social and economic changes to Afghanistan through the representation of historic figures, military events and armaments. For example, the earliest rugs depict Soviet weapons, while later rugs are embellished with American-style arms. War rugs are a new example of the economic inventiveness of Afghan tribal culture.

Primarily marketed to foreign soldiers and diplomats, war rugs convey the resiliency of Afghanistan’s people to express themselves through art. Richly woven and provocative with meaning, these fascinating textiles offer a first-person narrative of war as told by their Afghan weavers.

 

Curated by Michele Hardy, PhD, The Nickle Arts Museum and Sergeant Chris Mavin, CD, Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry Museum and Archives.