I weave what I have seen: The War Rugs of Afghanistan

We are pleased to be re-opening the Drill Hall Gallery to the public from 10am Wednesday 3 November, 2021 and returning to our usual opening hours. From Wednesday 3 November to Sunday 14 November we will continue our presentation of I weave what I have seen: The War Rugs of Afghanistan, as a special commemoration to our friend, colleague and artist Nigel Lendon. I weave what I have seen: War Rugs of Afghanistan, was Nigel's last project, co-curated with Tim Bonyhady and assisted in every way by his partner Pam McGrath.

I weave what I have seen: The War Rugs of Afghanistan is a testimony to the creativity and resilience of Afghan weavers who have faced the devastating effects of war for more than forty years.

From the very start of the conflict, Afghan weavers began developing a striking new form of war art involving a complex imagery of armaments, maps, monuments, texts and portraits which soon began to find an international audience.

Emerging out of a research project undertaken at the Australian National University by Tim Bonyhady and Nigel Lendon, this exhibition investigates the history, iconography, production and distribution of these extraordinary rugs.