A collaboration between Ma. Art Space and Zarif Design Ma. Art Space is delighted to present an exceptional exhibition in collaboration with Zarif Design, a fashion house founded in 2005 in Kabul by Zolaykha Sherzad.

Through this exhibition, we are showcasing for the first time in Brussels a thousand-year-old textile heritage, threatened but still vibrant, which Zarif is committed to preserving and reinventing.

Zarif — which means ‘precious’ in Dari — works to revive traditional Afghan craftsmanship: silk and cotton weaving, ancestral embroidery, and the manufacture of the famous chapans (traditional coats).

Each piece embodies a memory, a story, a deep connection with the cultures of the Silk Road. Zarif Design seeks to safeguard these ancestral techniques by working across the entire production chain: from raw materials (silk, cotton, wool) to the creation of unique pieces, respecting local craftsmanship and its spiritual dimension.

But this approach is also deeply human and committed. Zarif Design is a space of resistance and creation for Afghan women.
In a context marked by political instability and restrictions on freedom, these craftswomen find, through their work, a means of subsistence, transmission and dignity. In addition to maintaining social ties, they learn, create and assert their voices.

By using textile art as a means of expression, Zarif builds a bridge between the world and them. These textile works have been featured in major installations, including at MuCEM (Marseille, 2019), the Musée national des arts asiatiques - Guimet (Paris, 2022), the Chapelle Méjan (Arles, 2023) and Homo Faber (Venice, 2024).

The exhibition in Brussels offers a selection of unique textiles, combining tradition and modernity, all handmade and available for sale.

Each piece purchased supports the survival of a precious local craft, as well as the economic and social empowerment of the women who hold this knowledge.