“Moroccan” Artek—Colonized Textiles within 1930s Modernist Interiors

Abstract

Shortly after opening in 1936, the Finnish interior design company Artek organized two exhibitions in Helsinki: a model apartment showroom and a display within its shop, both involving a substantial presence of Amazigh carpets from the French protectorate of Morocco. This article analyses these rugs within Artek identifying them as “colonized textiles.” This proposed concept aims to highlight textiles within the appropriation of non-Western cultural fragments by structures of imperialism and coloniality, while parallelly problematizing the inclusion of Amazigh rugs within architectural modernism. The movement of Amazigh rugs from Morocco to Finland, and their transition from Amazigh communities to European modernist interiors, are described through key events and exhibitions from the interwar era. The involvement of Artek actors and the process leading to the founding of Artek are highlighted within this context. Exhibitions are presented as a stage for the interaction of discourses on modernism and imperialism, and for the reiteration of constructed narrations directed by élite circles, supporting the appropriation and commodification of colonized textiles in Europe. Political agendas of cultural supervision within the French protectorate of Morocco are described while situating Amazigh rugs in this context. Parallelly, the relevance of textiles is highlighted within discussions on architectural modernism.