Roda Medhat

This work was exhibited at Nuit Blanche Toronto 2022 on the Assembly Hall grounds in Etobicoke, Ontario. 

FARSH is a 16-ft minaret adorned with a custom textile crafted from montaged traditional Kurdish carpet designs. The entire sculpture is enveloped by the carpet, and there is an 8-ft runner on the base. This work draws inspiration from historical Kurdish carpet designs and takes the form of the traditional minaret or obelisk frequently seen in Western Asia. The artwork aims to serve as a beacon, attracting audiences, much like the traditional minaret, which was used to communicate location and frequently served as a point to address communities from its elevated vantage point. 

The title of the work comes from the word for carpet used throughout various languages of West Asia.

Excerpt from interview with Bruce DeMara of the Toronto Star.

"In Etobicoke, Kurdish-Canadian multimedia artist Roda Medhat will present his work, entitled “Farsh,” featuring a 16-foot-tall pyramid covered in custom-made Kurdish-style carpets. In all, the work encompasses around 30 metres of carpet, hand-stitched by the artist. The sculpture is at 1 Colonel Samuel Smith Park.

“Given the stature of the piece, it’s intended to draw audiences in and evoke a sense of awe and wonder. You don’t have to be Kurdish to recognize the unique patterning and styling of the carpets. You don’t have to be Middle Eastern to enjoy the historical significance and craftwork of carpet weaving,” Medhat said.

“The work is intended to help us draw similarities between ourselves and other cultures and to act as a beacon in the community to bring us together, especially so in a post-COVID world,” he added.

Medhat, an OCAD graduate, said he intends to stick around for the entire 12-hour event, “both interacting with other artists and viewing from a distance how the audience reacts and engages with my work,” Medhat said."