Exploring Inward, curated by Farah Piriyeva as part of the BUTA Arts Festival, brings together Azerbaijani artists Faig Ahmed and Aida Mahmudova at the Louise Blouin Foundation in London.

Although distinct in their artistic practices, both artists share a spirit of exploration and a curiosity towards what lies beneath familiar forms and experiences. Faig Ahmed presents a new body of works created specifically for the exhibition, continuing his experimentation with the traditional language of Azerbaijani carpet weaving. Taking the carpet as a starting point, he disrupts its established patterns, structures and materials, transforming familiar visual codes into unexpected forms. Rather than simply juxtaposing the traditional and the contemporary, Ahmed challenges established perceptions of the carpet and explores the structures and visual language embedded within it.

Aida Mahmudova presents a monumental 17-metre-long landscape painting, bringing her exploration of memory, place and the changing landscape into dialogue with Ahmed’s practice.