Garden of Eden

Hussein Shikha, a multidisciplinary artist from Iraq, immersed himself in traditional southern Iraqi carpets, full of illustrations and symbols.  Unfortunately, the craft is hardly documented. Not much could be found about the meaning of symbols, the cultural background and the historical relevance of these detailed fabrics. With all the information Shikha collected over the years about this dying craft, he developed his own interpretation at the TextielLab. To do so, he combined the ancient symbols with innovative techniques. The work was created in Aseprite, software designed for drawing and animating pixel art. As a result, the elaboration was so well matched to machine weaving that it was possible to work in great detail. The resulting two-sided cotton tapestry was exhibited at Kunsthal Extra City, Antwerp, in October 2023.