Crafts and War Rugs in Sardinia  

The 61st Mogoro Fair of Sardinian Carpets & Handicrafts features high-quality weaving, rug and textile crafts from the region plus an exhibition of Afghan war rugs

Quality craftsmanship from Sardinia is once again on show at the 61st Mogoro Fair of Sardinian Carpets & Handicrafts. Opened by the Mayor Donato Cau, councillor for craft and culture, Francesco Serrenti and the event curator Marcello Muru, on 22 July, this year’s fair scaled back the setting decor to focus on the handmade product made by exhibiting artists. Sardinia has a rich history of textile production and the annual show in Mogoro shows of some of the high-quality weaving, rug and textile crafts still being produced today. 

Each year a focused exhibition features alongside the Sardinian crafts and this year, Rome-based nonprofit organisation CooperAction is exhibiting 15 Afghan war rugs. The rugs are from an important collection that has featured in numerous national and international exhibitions over the last ten years: from the Expo for Peace in Milan, to the Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art of Trento and Rovereto and the National Gallery of Modern Art in Rome. 

The show forms part of CooperAction’s campaign ‘Calpesta la guerra’ (‘Step on War’). War rugs were first made in Afghanistan during the Soviet occupation. This summer’s exhibition widens the scope to include more recent conflict in Afghanistan and the ongoing situation in Ukraine. This is reflected through the work titled Through the Fields by Nicoletta Vicenzi, a restorer and textile artist from Rome. To assist CooperAction’s fundraising efforts, the exhibition features books for sale including Guerre a Tappeto by Edoardo Marino, Inside Kabul—aphoto reportage of Kabul by Danilo Marino and Florilegio Afgano by Vincenzo Lasalandra.

The show is on until 18 September 2022.