At the outset of this project, one may return to the reflection that under pre-capitalist conditions, the artist and the manual laborer stood side by side. The artisan, this creative worker, occupied a position both worthy and dignified, one that emerged through skill, ingenuity, and the creative deployment of hand and mind. As Ali Gostaneh observes, “the artist and the worker, beneath the radical sign, arrive at fundamental commonalities: a shared ground in creation, in the labor of making, and in the preoccupation with realizing meaning within matter.”
This project takes shape through the logic of weaving, where individual elements, in their adjacency and interrelation, transform into a collective whole. In this sense, the work before us operates as a metaphor for individual experiences that, within a shared framework, attain the possibility of elevation; a narrative of how meaning is formed amidst multiplicity. If art is to remain attuned to its time, it must inevitably take form in relation to the media and possibilities of the present, where meaning flows across a fluid continuum between matter, mind, and experience, gradually approaching a more enduring horizon.
The relationship between art and craft has, throughout its evolution, remained complex and layered. In the past, artisans, through masterful execution in the creation of carpets, textiles, and other objects, embedded artistic sensibilities within the fabric of everyday use. These works, though removed from the logic of mass production, functioned as lineage-bearing repositories, playing an active role in both the economic and cultural life of their societies. Persian carpet weaving stands as a prominent example of this domain, an arena in which motifs, patterns, and authentic chromatic compositions have evolved over time, contributing to the preservation and regeneration of an enduring heritage. The carpet is not merely a functional object, but a narrator of history and a bearer of layered meanings and lived experience.
Perhaps the carpet still lingers in our minds within a fixed and traditional definition, an object familiar, with a predetermined function. What unfolds in this exhibition is a deliberate departure from precisely this notion. These works are not carpets in their conventional sense, but rather objects intended to be laid out within the expanse of contemporary life, at home, in a room, or within a workspace, without necessarily adhering to former frameworks.
Malike Hosseini / Spring 2026
Statement:
Exhibition No. 3 of Liikeh Art Factory is an attempt to reconsider the boundaries between art and industry; a space in which industrial production is understood not merely as a functional process, but as a platform for the creation of meaning and artistic expression. Focusing on machine-made carpets as one of the most widely used products, this project explores new possibilities for synergy between art and contemporary design within the framework of mass production.
In this project, the machine-made carpet moves beyond its purely industrial role and is redefined as an artistic medium, a tool whose technical limitations become part of the creative process itself. This shift in perspective enables the emergence of works situated at the threshold between the uniqueness of an artwork and the reproducibility of mechanical or industrial production. From a curatorial standpoint, the project is not simply a presentation of works, but the creation of an interactive field between artists and industry practitioners, where technical knowledge and artistic creativity become intertwined. This proximity not only generates added value for the product but also expands the reach of art to broader audiences and opens new pathways for artists to engage beyond gallery-centered contexts.
The Fusion of Art and Industry ultimately seek to situate art within the fabric of everyday life.
Pegah Behroozfar