Artistic rugs are not only a celebration of craft culture, they are also sound investment pieces, specially these handmade carpets that are pushing the historic art into brave and bold new directions.
For a second time, the fibre art-focused event of ‘Carpet Diem’ returned to Paris, dazzling viewers with an eclectic selection of non-traditional, contemporary rugs and tapestries of 30 international exhibitors including brands and independent creatives. As for the fair's founder, Francesco Pirrello, he hopes to help shift how contemporary carpets are perceived since they are being rethought with refreshing meanings that address the nuanced world we live in today.
“Handmade carpets are often considered as purely decorative, or as an accessory for our living room with a table placed on it,” the founder told AD. “For me, a rug or a tapestry needs to be seen as a piece of art that can be placed horizontally – to pray, meditate or simply lay down on – or vertically, on a wall, to give us more depth and to allow us to travel and imagine another reality.”
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The name of the fair, which took place earlier in November at Espace Commines, is a play on words of the classic Latin phrase Carpe Diem, encouraging one to live in the moment, which Pirrello is also aiming to do with the exhibition. “I chose the name ‘Carpet Diem’ as an invitation to live the present: It is the only thing we own and often the most difficult thing to do is to be focused in the moment,” he said.
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Fascinated by the intricate techniques and designs of carpet-making, Pirrello and set designer Hervé Sauvage displayed the rugs as a labyrinth-like installation. “We are surrounded by vertical rugs where we discover one piece after another, like in a journey,” said Pirrello.
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From exploring climate change to botanical symbolism and modern art, here are eight distinctive textile designers who presented their artful handmade carpets at the show.
*alittlemore studio
Founded by Aleeya Khan in Lahore last year, the multidisciplinary design firm *alittlemore studio, which seeks to “create meaningful design objects to tell a story”, is presenting at the Parisian fair a hand-knotted rug called ‘The Calendar’. Designed by Khan's colleague, Masshal Saif, the map-like rug is made of 100% Himalayan wool and hails from ‘The Smog Collection’, inspired by the Punjab's natural landscape. This thoughtful and visual piece, however, deals with the urgent impact of climate change on Punjabi soil and farmers, as demonstrated by the colourful rug's varying hues. @alittlemorestudio
Sienna Martz
Living a vegan lifestyle and creating eco-friendly fabric pieces, the Vermont-based fibre artist Sienna Martz produces installations that “often explore nature's adaptability, challenge the prevailing currents of consumerism, and spark dialogue about the consequences of dissonance between humanity and nature,” reads her artist statement. In Paris, she debuted a large, tufted sculptural tapestry entitled ‘Solace of the Sea’, coloured in shades of light blue, green and beige, resembling a charming scene of seawater and rocks. According to Martz's Instagram account, it took her roughly 200 hours in 6 weeks to finish the tapestry, which is made with “organic cotton, secondhand garments, organic kapok fibre, recycled conventional cotton, recycled polyester, and natural latex.” @siennamartz.art
Sibylle De Tavernost
The Paris-based firm, named after carpet designer and entrepreneur Sybille de Tavernost, specialises in crafting rugs as “floor paintings” that weave together abstract shapes, graphic lines and a bold palette of colours. Their newest collection pays tribute to a pioneer of 20th-century modern art, French artist Fernand Léger (1881 – 1955). For this limited edition project, the firm was invited by the artist's family to explore the archives of Léger, who was known for his voluptuous portrayal of figures. At the fair, Sybille de Tavernost presented rugs inspired by Léger's paintings ‘Les Plongeurs (The Divers)’, executed in the 1940s, and ‘Les Femmes Au Perroquet (Women with a Parrot)’, created in 1952. @sibylledetavernost
Diacasan Edition
Founded in 2000, the French tapestry company Diacasan Edition has collaborated with a number of artists over the years to produce vibrant tapestries. Among their collaborators is the Lyon artist Jean-Paul Espinosa, who has a passion for colours, allowing them to flow on the surface in a fluid, dance-like manner. “Colours echo deep within us, they call on us or match with us. They generate real emotional atmospheres,” he once said. Inspired by nature, Espinosa's gestural painting of streaks of colour, ‘Everglades’, has been translated into a hand-tufted tapestry, produced in India. @diacasanedition
Unknown Carpets
For their participation at the fair, the Rajasthan-based brand, Unknown Carpets, presented two detailed carpets, created in collaboration with artists. One of the displayed works entitled ‘Carta De Agua VI’, made by Chilean artist Patricia Claro, comes from the ‘Aguagramas Collection’ which “reflects her exploration of water through various disciplines, capturing the beauty and complexity of liquid landscapes, particularly the reflections in freshwater,” according to a post shared on Instagram.
Claro's coded tapestry, which was hand-knotted in silk and wool, is an investigative work of art, which documents “the temporality of water by recording its flow over extended periods, revealing its speculative nature.” On the other hand, the company has also worked with the Finnish artist Kustaa Saksi, who produced a pink-toned rug, ‘Herbarium of Dreams II’, full of curious botanical symbols. @unknowncarpets
Coco Brun
The French artist Coco Brun, who has experimented with installation art, textiles and sculpture, describes her fabric-focused work as being “inspired by the transformations in nature, particularly insects, and reflect the challenges posed by climate change. I explore materiality by combining techniques like weaving and embroidery, using sustainable and eco-friendly materials,” she said. At the fair, Brun's vertical, hanging creation, using recycled material and natural threads, tells the story of the visually complex, natural process of metamorphosis. It was completed during a 2023 residency in the Mexican city of Morelia. @c_o_c_o_brun
Gandia-Blasco
Nature, and the need to return to it, is a central theme in many of the displayed objects. A vivid, richly red sunset takes over a hand-knotted wool rug, called ‘Ibiza Sunset Red’, presented by the Spanish furnishing brand Gandia-Blasco and designed by plastic artist Alejandra Gandia-Blasco. Akin to a stunning Georgia O'Keeffe landscape painting, the Indian-produced rug is a stimulating exploration of colour, form and light. @gan_rugs
Bi Yuu by Estudio Marisol Centeno
Inspired by the universe and astronomy, ‘Capella’ is a dynamic carpet created by Mexico City artist and founder of a textile atelier specialising in woven rugs, Bi Yuu. Featuring calming shades of blue and yellow, based apparently on the digital colour codes of stars, the geometrical tapestry renders a contemplative and perfectly-lined scene of celestial organs. “They have guided humanity's dreams, metaphors, and stories,” reads a post on the atelier's Instagram page, “giving us a sense of belonging and meaning.” @biyuumx
