
At the ANU Drill Hall Gallery in Canberra there is an exhibition of carpets created in Afghanistan and its neighbouring countries over the last 40 years. The distinctive feature of these rugs is the inclusion of rockets, tanks, bombs, Hummers and lots of other armaments of war. I do not cry often in galleries but I came close in this exhibition. The tragedy and trauma of 40 years of invasion and occupation by large nations is visually woven into the traditional art form of rug making. The violence and brutality of war machinery pictured through the finely worked carpets I found confronting.
The exhibition is on till August 15 2021 and the details are on the website https://dhg.anu.edu.au/