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02/19/2026

Zoom

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Digital Rug Making

Digital Rug Making is an online workshop and artist talk with Shaheer Zazai exploring the creative intersection between digital images and traditional textiles. The session introduces participants to the visual vocabulary of colours, numbers, and patterns that operates within both digital and textile-based practices, offering insight into how these systems shape Shaheer’s own work. 

The workshop begins with an overview of the artist’s practice, process, and thoughts on the relationship between textiles, computers, and digital image-making. Participants are then guided in designing their own patterns using accessible software such as Microsoft Word and Google Docs, discovering the unexpected creative potential within everyday digital tools. The session includes a collaborative group activity where participants create shared digital imagery to collectively experiment and play.  

This workshop welcomes participants of all skill levels to explore and expand their understanding of how digital and textile languages intertwine. For those without access to digital programs, blank or graph paper and coloured markers or highlighters serve as effective alternatives for hands-on exploration. 

Shaheer Zazai is an Afghan-Canadian artist with a current studio practice both in painting and digital media. Zazai received a BFA from OCAD University in 2011 and was artist in residence at OCAD University as part of the Digital Painting Atelier in 2015. Zazai’s practice focuses on exploring and attempting to investigate the development of cultural identity in the present geopolitical climate and diaspora. Zazai is a recipient of the TFVA (Toronto Friends of the Visual Arts) Visual Artist Award (2024) as well as recipient of Ontario Arts Council grants, and he was a finalist for EQ Bank’s Emerging Digital Artist Award in 2018. Since graduating, Zazai has had several solo and group exhibitions such as those at the Capacity 3 Gallery, CAFKA Biennial 2019, Art Gallery of Mississauga, Glenhyrst Art Gallery of Brant, Double Happiness Projects and Patel Brown Gallery. His digital works have been covered by CBC Arts in 2018, Ajam Media Collective in 2019, and Globe and Mail in 2020. Some of his recent notable exhibitions include a solo exhibition at the Agha Khan Museum in Toronto, Patel Brown Gallery, and Owens Art Gallery. Shaheer Zazai is represented by Patel Brown Gallery. 

About the Instructor

Shaheer Zazai is an Afghan-Canadian artist with a current studio practice both in painting and digital media. Zazai received a BFA from OCAD University in 2011 and was artist in residence at OCAD University as part of the Digital Painting Atelier in 2015. Zazai’s practice focuses on exploring and attempting to investigate the development of cultural identity in the present geopolitical climate and diaspora. Zazai is a recipient of the TFVA (Toronto Friends of the Visual Arts) Visual Artist Award (2024) as well as recipient of Ontario Arts Council grants, and he was a finalist for EQ Bank’s Emerging Digital Artist Award in 2018. Since graduating, Zazai has had several solo and group exhibitions such as those at the Capacity 3 Gallery, CAFKA Biennial 2019, Art Gallery of Mississauga, Glenhyrst Art Gallery of Brant, Double Happiness Projects and Patel Brown Gallery. His digital works have been covered by CBC Arts in 2018, Ajam Media Collective in 2019, and Globe and Mail in 2020. Some of his recent notable exhibitions include a solo exhibition at the Agha Khan Museum in Toronto, Patel Brown Gallery, and Owens Art Gallery. Shaheer Zazai is represented by Patel Brown Gallery.