Public Art Abu Dhabi Biennial

Where Lies My Carpet is Thy Home is a collaborative project developed with carpet merchants from Abu Dhabi’s carpet souk and inspired by personal stories shared during majlis (sitting room) sessions. Memories of the merchants’ homelands—Afghanistan, Pakistan, and India—are woven together with their present lives at the souk and their dreams of return.

Each cascading valley depicted in the carpet tells a story, one valley depicts Wali, an Afghani shop owner who dreams of his apple orchard; another shows where Abdul, a shepherd from the KPK region in northern Pakistan, buys and sells sheep. Other scenes highlight the sacrifices of expatriates and second-generation workers who recall their fathers selling carpets in Abu Dhabi.

The design is playful yet poignant, drawing inspiration from Afghan war carpets, while the grid-like kilim-inspired composition evokes a pixelated, 8-bit aesthetic reminiscent of early video games. The large-scale work reflects a carpet’s lifecycle—from collecting sheep’s wool, to dyeing fibres with natural indigo, to selling it in the souk. This tactile experience is meant to be navigated at human scale, with motifs and objects sized for close viewing. Known for challenging traditional Western art forms, here Benton relates how the migrant experience endures in the UAE. Consistent with his practice, he proposes a decolonial mode of experiencing art—through the body first, then the eye—offering a piece meant to be lived in, loved, and felt.

"The Big Hang" 2024. Project Teaser. Shot by Ismo

Install Image. Courtesy of Lance Gerber

Install Image. Courtesy of Lance Gerber

Archive Photo. Courtesy of Ron John. Commisioned by the artist

Archive Photo. Courtesy of Ron John. Commisioned by the artist

Archive Photo. Courtesy of Ron John. Commisioned by the artist

Install Image. Courtesy of Lance Gerber

Credits:

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Project Team:

Studio Benton

Head Designer / Illustrator: Dania Ezz

Designer At-Large: Phillip Joseph

Storytellers: The Men of the Abu Dhabi Carpet Market; in particular, Hassan, Wali Khan, Moosa

Photographer: Ron John, Abdullah Jamil

Filmmaker: Ismo

Interns: Fatima Al Remeithi, Chloe Mae Delena, Paolo Faelnar, Clement Shen

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Cutwork

Architectural Design: Gwenola Plé Boishardy, Antonin Yuji Maeno

Producer: Andrea Levorato

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Department of Culture & Tourism

Curators: Reem Fadda, Carmen Hassan

Producer: Luz Gyalui, Sara Black 

Exhibition Photography: Lance Gerber

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Contractor

Gracia Events

Head Producer: Pierre Abboud

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Gratitude: Michaelangelo Corsaro, 421 Art Campus, Ilinka, M_39