Azra Aksamija in RugLife at Pratt Manhattan

Azra Aksamija, Palimpsest of ’89, stills. Courtesy of the artist.
Azra Aksamija, Palimpsest of ’89, stills. Courtesy of the artist.

On view at Pratt Manhattan, RugLife presents the rug as a vibrant contemporary art form whose dimensions exceed the purely functional. Showcasing the work of 14 artists from around the world, including ACT Director Azra Aksamija, the exhibition explores themes of identity, displacement, and cultural memory through innovative textile techniques.

Within this context, Aksamija’s Palimpsest of ’89 is notable for its conceptual approach and historical focus. This project examines how Sarajevo’s cultural institutions have shaped and reshaped Yugoslavia’s shared heritage. Aksamija visualizes history as a “palimpsestual carpet” using digital animation. In this carpet, cultural history appears layered, revised and contested over time.

Azra Aksamija, Palimpsest of ’89, stills. Courtesy of the artist.

The carpet itself functions as a storytelling device. Its patterns represent different historical periods, from Ottoman and Austro-Hungarian rule to the socialist era and post-Dayton Bosnia. Each period adds, alters, or erases symbols. The morphing form of the animation continuously recombines these motifs, reflecting the political and cultural forces that have shaped the region to the present day.

Aksamija’s work reimagines the rug as both an archive and an analytical tool. By linking textile traditions with institutional critique, she highlights how heritage is constructed through processes of preservation, interpretation, and power. In RugLife, her Palimpsest of ’89 demonstrates how a traditional medium can be used to address complex histories and imagine new ways of understanding the past.

Ruglife is on view at Pratt Manhattan from February 6 – May 23, 2026.

Azra Aksamija, Palimpsest of ’89, stills. Courtesy of the artist.

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