Handmade Tapestries and Zindekhs in Morocco
Mini rugs, tapestries, or fabric wall art? It's hard to find a single definition for these soft little works of art. For us, only one thing matters: if you're looking for a wall decoration with modern design and all the charm of a truly unique piece in the world, you're in the right place.
Today these original wall decorations to frame or hang on the walls are artifacts recognized as an expression of a form of popular art born parallel to that of the Boucherouite rugs. Made with recycled fabrics and rags, they are the tangible expression of the strength of Moroccan women who, during the crisis of the 50s and 60s, were ingenious in producing items to sell at the souk for family sustenance. Starting from sacks of flour, wheat and rice, and sewing mixed yarns on them with the technique of the so-called "magic needle", the master craftswomen began to create small and large rugs that have become over time true decorative jewels.
Rare and precious, unique and unrepeatable, original examples of Zindekh design tapestries from the 1960s are today considered to be "Berber art" and exhibited in art galleries, auction houses, museums and prestigious venues such as the Yves Saint Laurent Museum and the Musée Boucharouite in Marrakech.
The colorful designs, a free expression of the craftswoman's imagination, vary enormously and are clearly unmatched and unrepeatable. They could look like multicolored patchworks, African or cubist art, but also modernist, expressionist, pop paintings.
Perfect in a minimal setting for an unexpected touch of color, ideal in a home decorated in boho chic style that winks at ecology and upcycling, they can be hung as paintings with or without a frame, or used as a decoration behind the headboard of the bed. But they are also beautiful placed on a table as a centerpiece. On top you can place objects and ornaments, a tray, a vase, a terrarium of succulents (très bohémien!).
Beautiful, unique and sustainable thanks to the reuse of plastic as a weaving base, Zindekh handcrafted tapestries bring with them a complex and fascinating story made of tradition, resilience and innovative design projected towards a more eco-friendly future in which not only is recycled, but recycled material is transformed and enhanced, giving it new life and function.
