Swedish textile art to appear at the Rothko Museum
At 4 p.m. on Friday, 10 May, the Rothko Museum will open “Re Rag Rug” – an awareness-rising exhibition from an experimental textile project by the Swedish creative duo of Katarina Brieditis and Katarina Evans.
The Re Rag Rug exhibition is the tangible outcome of a one-year experimental design project by Studio Brieditis & Evans, a textile atelier run in Stockholm, Sweden, by Katarina Brieditis and Katarina Evans. During the project, the artists challenged themselves to create twelve unique rugs over twelve months in twelve different techniques without using a loom.
From different types of rags obtained from industrial waste and second-hand clothes stores, the artists created twelve new qualities and expressions of rugs with various sewing, plaiting, crocheting, knitting, macramé, rolling, cutting, appliqué, embroidery, structure- and relief effects, three-dimensionality, colour- and dyeing techniques.
The work was free and experimental. At the same time, Brieditis and Evans wanted the rugs to have a high artistic value, and the fact that they were made from recycled materials was only a bonus. To quote from the artists: “The design process starts with our hands and the material to find techniques that bring the best out of the unique properties of each material. This leads us into the artistic process where we see possibilities and qualities to develop, with the potential to be refined and transformed. The limited colour palette given to us is an additional challenge that we find inspiring.”
The Re Rag Rugs have been exhibited in Sweden, Hong Kong, the UK, France, Italy, Japan, and Australia. With the project’s extensive outreach, Brieditis and Evans have experienced how the rug itself is important to many people and concluded that interest in design and textile crafts is indeed a global phenomenon, as are the broader issues of recycled material, consumption, and sustainability.
Studio Brieditis & Evans has a rich background in textile art, craft, design, and product development. The collaboration started in 2002, and since then, both artists have worked on different projects focusing on textile recycling and sustainability.
The exhibition is on show at the Rothko Museum’s conference sector through 18 May 2024. During the opening event, visitors can access it free of charge.
The Re Rag Rug project was supported by The Swedish Arts Grants Committee. The Latvian exhibition has been prepared in cooperation with the Swedish Embassy in Latvia.
