Summary: The volume published for the exhibition, thanks to contributions from critics and scientists, shows us some unresolved issues as to the production of carpets from Afghanistan and Central Asia, known internationally as war rugs: definition of origins and cultural context , identification of the weavers, presence if any of artistic intention, the relation between the Western market and iconographic models. To break the deadlock faced by the studies, the volume suggests adoption of a novel analytical perspective, geo-cultural, so that we can reconstruct the complex transnational network that leads to the creation of war rugs. Despite a vocabulary that as from their definition, discriminates and relegates them to the world of “militaria”, and irrespective of any aesthetic or ethical consideration that tends to control sense and meaning, these carpets are nothing but concrete and symbolic artifacts that convey an accurate representation of the world. In the book, three hundred images trace the production of war rugs in their various types: geographical of the world and of Afghanistan, with national flags, political and theme maps, landscapes , portraits of leaders and popular heroes; with or without weapons (Kalashnikovs, pistols and hand grenades, but also tanks, planes and helicopters). As a counterpoint there are works by contemporary artists (Vittorio Corsini, Andrea de Carvalho, Federico Lanaro, Aldo Mondino, Sarenco): differing generations and languages offering confrontation on topics such as war and its denouncement, the balance of power and dialogue between religions.

Contents: Rugs, Worlds, Questions, Prospectives. A Contribution on War Rugs on the Centenary of the Great War ; For a Geosophy of Carpets with Weapons ; Afghanistan. Modernization in Knots ; The Carpets “with Weapons” and “with World.” A new Challenge for Geographic Studies ; Weaving Worlds. War Rugs in a Museum Itinerary for Geographical Education ; War Rugs and Contemporary Art. The Carpet as a Symbolic Form.

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