Tamilla Abdullayeva

Tapestry maker

Kamal Muradzadeh©Michelangelo Foundation

The harmonies in nature

Tamilla is an experienced tapestry maker
Her life journey is about learning and teaching tapestry
She weaves compositions inspired by archaeological findings

The work of Tamilla Abdullayeva builds on the rich carpet and tapestry heritage of Azerbaijan, and yet her style is not constrained by a specific artistic direction or weaving method. After she learned tapestry making in Tbilisi under the guidance of Givi Kandarelli, Tamilla decided she did not want to create according to traditional techniques. Instead, Tamilla reimagines abstract, contemporary patterns with sharp transitions in colour – a method she also encourages her university students to follow. In her work, Tamilla often depicts Azerbaijani sites, such as the Absheron Olive Garden in Baku. Her main inspiration is always nature, as she believes that all in nature is beautiful and refined, and that it contains perfect colour harmonies.

Interview

Kamal Muradzadeh©Michelangelo Foundation

Kamal Muradzadeh©Michelangelo Foundation

How did you come to choose this career?: My life journey led me to tapestry. This craft called out to me. You see, after I finished school in Tbilisi, I worked at Azerbaijan Carpet Museum and then studied carpet weaving at the Mirzaagha Aliyev Institute of Culture and Art. As my thesis, I wove a tapestry work called Absheron.
How do you express tradition and innovation in your work?: My work is modern, but I use the winding method which is an old technique used in sumakh – a type of unwoven carpet in Azerbaijan. I have also used the complex winding method in a work that reflects the four seasons.
What are your sources of inspiration?: Nature inspires me because I believe it contains everything. Colour harmony comes from there. I have made a work using the pixel method which conveys the four elements: blue for water, brown for earth, red for fire, and purple for wind.
Do you master any specific techniques that you invented?: My tapestry works are distinguished from others because of their colours. I also craft non-woven tapestries. Customarily, a tapestry is woven, but I make some tapestries by gluing threads onto a canvas. I named these the unwoven tapestries.

Tamilla Abdullayeva is an expert artisan: she began her career in 1978