Hamid Motahari is bringing a question of livelihood into a field often discussed in terms of beauty and heritage: what happens to the people whose work keeps Iranian carpet weaving alive?

An experienced carpet designer, Motahari has made poverty and the circumstances of weavers a focus of his artistic practice. His projects use the carpet to draw attention to economic hardship and generate support through the proceeds from the work.

For him, the survival of the craft depends on its makers.

Motahari believes Iranian carpet weaving cannot endure without the people who practice it. He sees their contribution as irreplaceable and maintains that machines can never take their place. Preserving the tradition, in his view, requires attention to the livelihoods of those who continue to weave it.

That concern runs through his unfinished carpet works. Using an unconventional approach to a familiar object, the works honor weavers while addressing the difficult economic conditions they can face.

The contrast is central to the project: people produce objects valued for their craftsmanship and cultural significance while struggling to secure their own livelihoods. By drawing attention to that imbalance, Motahari asks viewers to consider the circumstances behind the finished surface.

Proceeds from these works have supported improvements in carpet weavers’ livelihoods.

His Carpet Against Poverty collection takes a related approach, incorporating humanitarian ideas into carpet design and directing proceeds toward charitable causes. The project gives the carpet a role in both raising awareness and providing assistance.

Together, the projects connect artistic decisions with a practical purpose. Their social concerns are part of the work’s conception and continue through the use of the income it generates.

Motahari’s position also broadens the discussion of cultural preservation. A tradition may remain visible in collections, exhibitions and homes, yet its future still rests with people who need to earn a living from their skills. Admiration for the object offers only a partial account of what is needed to sustain its making.

That is where his work places its emphasis. The carpet serves as a means of reaching an audience, while the weavers’ circumstances give the projects their urgency.

Across these efforts, Motahari brings the discussion back to a human dependency that can be overlooked when carpets are treated mainly as valuable possessions. The craft survives through the people who practice it. Supporting their livelihoods is, in his view, inseparable from supporting its future.