“Kabul was once a beautiful city with traditional buildings. Now we are overrun with architecture imported from Pakistan.”
My name is Rahim Walizada
Owner of Chuk Pulu, carpet designer extraordinaire, architect
Kabul was once a beautiful city with traditional buildings. Now we are overrun with architecture imported from Pakistan
I love contemporary art and I am very influenced by Rothko, I wanted to transfer what he was doing with paint onto carpets.
My carpets are woven in Northern Afghanistan by families that have been weaving for generations. I am trying to bring on a new generation by bringing the younger ones to my studio to learn about new methods and designs.
I left school and moved to Pakistan with my family as a refugee in the early 80s. We lived in Peshawar and Lahore and my father set up a carpet trading business and I worked for him while studying at art school.
I love travelling. I started globetrotting at 21 and went to Kathmandu. My favourite place is New York. I remember being overwhelmed when I first arrived. Who wouldn’t be, coming from Kabul?
I spent about two years in London studying art. I worked with designers in Paris, Italy, Switzerland… all over Europe. In the mid 90’s I opened a gallery in Soho, New York and then a second one on 5th Avenue. I was selling Afghan carpets and antiques. Business was very good. I was the first artist to present carpets as an artistic medium at the Venice biennale.
The wool comes from villages and is brought by weaving families who then spin it into yarn. It takes 6 hours to spin a kilo of wool and 35 kilos to make a 2×3 metre rug. They dye the wool with vegetable dyes and they weave in the design. That for me is the most exciting thing – seeing the design on a carpet for the first time.
These days I am working with architecture and interior design combining contemporary Afghan styles with a modern twist. I have designed rooms in embassies as well as private houses. I just love creating things. I take design inspiration from Mexico, Morocco and North Africa.
Kabul was once a beautiful city with traditional buildings. Now we are overrun with architecture imported from Pakistan and it’s destroying the soul of the city. The mayor of the city should control it. I blame the foreigners presence to be honest. In 2003 a few ugly buildings were erected and quickly let out to internationals. Afghans are good businessmen and having identified an apparent need, more and more of these monstrosities were built.
When I was a child Kabul was a city of pleasure. People came for holidays and there were trees, clean streets and open spaces. Now people are just here to make money and then leave without wanting to sustain the city. 30 years ago everyone was happy. Now I am not so sure.
It was a challenge to start working here in 2002. It’s not easy but you have to keep positive. As a country we are facing many problems but we always rise to the challenge. The hardest thing about my job is security though. I fear the return of the Taliban but I am doing positive things for the country.
Everyday is an adventure and a surprise. It’s a long road, but every day is beautiful, my work is my life.
