Faig Ahmed: The Venice Biennale, Quantum Physics, and Cultural Healing
What does a 14th-century Azerbaijani mystic poet have in common with quantum physics — and what does either of them have to do with a carpet? In this episode, host Hugh Leeman sits down with internationally acclaimed Azerbaijani artist Faig Ahmed, whose solo exhibition currently represents Azerbaijan at the Venice Biennale, for a conversation that moves from the unspoken social codes of post-Soviet society to the philosophy of Nasimi, from the hidden shame of inherited silence to the healing potential of contemporary art. Faig's work — known for its radical transformation of traditional Azerbaijani carpet forms into something that bends, dissolves, liquefies, and defies — is as philosophically layered as it is visually arresting. Faig opens up about growing up through the collapse of the Soviet Union and the identity vacuum it left behind, about the early years of his career when he had to communicate with women weavers through their brothers and husbands because cultural codes forbade direct contact, and about the village that agreed to collaborate with him only under the condition that they never be named.
