September 20, 2023

Rugs Double as an Art Medium in TRNK’s New Series

For its inaugural Artist Rug Series, TRNK, the New York studio and curatorial platform headed by Tariq Dixon, tapped creatives from three countries. “I was intrigued by the idea of using rugs as an art medium,” Dixon says. “Much like wall art, rugs get passed down through generations and maintain a similar permanence, but we typically interact with them very differently.” The individual works were translated into 15 rugs crafted of New Zealand wool or Tencel.

Spanish graphic designer Jesus Perea’s material explorations in wood, cardboard, and Indian paper as well as his experiments with digital mediums resulted in the Abstract Composition series. Modernist-inspired graphics adapted from ink drawings—with purposeful wabi-sabi glitches to show the artist’s hand—distinguish the work of Louis Reith of the Netherlands, including Echo All Acoustically Correct and Her Eyes Glaze. Finally, Zackery Abernathy’s Color Field features geometric forms in neutral tones.

a black and beige abstract rug next to a chair — Echo All Acoustically Correct.

a beige rug with black and red rectangles — Color Field 02.

Her Eyes Glaze, a rug made of abstract shapes — Color Field 02.

an orange abstract rug — Abstract Composition 01.

a brown abstract rug with black shapes and pink lines — Abstract Composition 01.

Products
8 Artful Floor Coverings Embrace Nature and Geometry
From tiles inspired by forest floors and desert sands to brushstroke-patterned hand-spun Afghan wool rugs, these floor coverings reflect the shapes of the natural world.
Products
Balmaceda’s Latest Collection is Full of Heart
Corazones, the latest collection from rug company Balmaceda, thoughtfully reinterprets the chambers of the human heart into unique rugs.
Products
Commune Cofounder Transforms His Paintings into Artful Rugs
Commune cofounder Steven Johanknecht made small-scale paintings at home during the pandemic lockdown which sparked this wave of new rugs for his studio.