Mina Abouzahra: The Soul of a Rug

“When young women marry in Taznakht, they often go live with their new husband and his family, sometimes far away. During this first year, the young woman might not come home to visit in order to get properly settled in her new environment, and during this period she will weave a rug. When her father comes to see her later in that first year, he takes the rug home with him, and the mother can read and interpret how her daughter is doing through the weaving,” explains Mina Abouzahra, a Dutch-Moroccan artist and designer who has spent many years working and staying with the Amazigh (Berber) women. These women –daughters-mothers-aunts-grandmothers, are all intimately connected through their weaving, with each community having their own colours, techniques and styles; the women carrying on centuries old traditions of telling stories in their distinctive woven textiles.

Wanting to tell these incredible stories of weaving and to shed light on the talent of these women, Abouzahra curated “The Soul of a Rug”, an exhibition on view at the Palais Bahia in Marrakech through June 30th. It features a selection of weavings and tapestries from the weavers of Taznakht, along with contemporary furniture and objects designed by Abouzahra, and some vintage furniture, onto she used the weavings as upholstery. The exhibition also features photographs, looms and yarns that people can touch and feel, allowing them to get more connected to the process and technique that goes into each rug. In addition, Abouzahra made a VR film for “Soul of a Rug” that takes visitors directly to Taznakht, where they are immersed in the daily life of the women and the village.

Abouzahra grew up in a small town in Holland and loved watching and helping her mom prepare meals in the kitchen. Cooking was a natural skill for the creative, and food eventually led her to first explore her Moroccan roots while traveling the country as a chef, cookbook author and food stylist. But something kept drawing her back towards furniture design and interiors, and so she studied wood-working and cabinetry in Holland followed by a 5-month internship in Essaouira, where she started to explore the flea markets and crafts of Morocco. “I knew the craftsmanship was there but I had always looked at it through the eyes of food; so it was something new and exciting for me. Food had taught me so much about the land and for me this was a new adventure to explore Morocco with all the crafts,” she explains. On that same trip, she filled up a few suitcases with vintage textiles and started her own interior label that combined these colourful, soulful fabrics with contemporary furniture. “I was traveling around, experimenting and making products for myself and others. I did this for a few years – and during this time the Berber rug was something that really resonated with me. I felt like I started to really understand it,” she says. “The rugs are filled with rituals and stories about their communities. Each region has its own colours, size and technique that is connected to weather and to the vegetable colours they have access to. Mothers teach their daughters, there is an ongoing tradition.”

“One Square Meter Berber,” was her first exhibition at the Palais Bahia in 2019, which not only highlighted the talent of these weavers but also the harsh realities of the disparity in how they are paid relative to others in the supply chain of woven rugs. The title “One Square Metre” comes from the way the women are paid for their work, by square metre. Installed on the walls of the Palais Bahia were 1-square meter rugs and next to it, a photo of the woman who made it. The idea was to give context and understanding, to show that these were talented people who deserved better financial compensation for their work. During this time, she also invited a few Dutch designers – a fashion designer, artist, product designer – to Taznakht for a residency and exchange, where they worked with the Amazigh weavers and developed new projects, which were also exhibited at the Palais Bahia.

After the pandemic and “One Square Meter”, Abouzahra stayed in Taznakht for several months to really get connected to the community and weaving. She explains that, “during my residency I learned how the rug has a soul because, for example, when they set up a loom they smash sugar on it to give it a sweet soul. At night they cover it with a black cloth to protect it against the evil eye.” “The Soul of a Rug” is a culmination, in many ways, of Abouzhra’s more than 10-years of working, living and researching Berber weaving and history. The exhibition tells a story about ancestral craft and traditions, the importance of cultural preservation and female empowerment, but, she also notes that the exhibition tells a story about how working together can be even better and more fruitful than working independently. The shared connection of community and creativity.

The Soul of a Rug is on view at the Palais Bahia through June 30th, 2025. It will then travel to Amsterdam between 22 August until 21 September at the Hotel Arena, and from September 18-21 in Glue, the Amsterdam Design Fair

Mina Abouzahra

@minaabouzahra