In ‘Illuminated Threads,’ Artist Faig Ahmed Distorts Pious History

Faig Ahmed’s Shirvanshah (2024) disrupts the exhibition’s quiet reverence, visually melting tradition into abstraction.

An installation view at the Birmingham Museum of Art shows five historical Islamic prayer rugs surrounding Faig Ahmed’s surreal, multicolored rug artwork that visually distorts traditional motifs by stretching them downward.

“Illuminated Threads: Contemporary and Traditional Rugs” is at the Birmingham Museum of Art through April 13, 2025.

In ‘Illuminated Threads,’ Artist Faig Ahmed Distorts Pious History