war rugs
war rugs
WAR RUGS
War rugs were first woven when Russia occupied Afghanistan in the eighties, visualizing tanks, helicopters, hand grenades, kalashnikovs, etc. The distinctive characteristic of these rugs is their capacity to convey their makers' experiences and interpretations of the circumstances and politics of war and conflict in the region.
My war rugs also expose the state of our society and the art world.
LOOK AGAIN
War Rug Look Again, 2021
Collage of paintings inspired by multimillion-dollar pieces by Modigliani, Matisse and Picasso, with their naked - angry - models. Wall tapestry, 100% cotton, 60 x 80 inches (150 x 200 cm), edition 2 + 1 A.P. 2021, 1/1 private collection.
Look Again, 2022, 50 x 60 inches (120 x 150 cm), edition 2 + 1 A.P. 1/1 private collection.
Do women have to be naked to get the highest price? ‘Record auction at Christie’s’, ‘Most expensive ever..’, ‘What sold at Art Basel?’. Naked women, painted by male artists, are sold for huge amounts of money, like a nude by Modigliani, Nu Couché, $172.6 million. The highest price ever paid for a female artist (Georgia O’Keeffe, $44.4 million), is not even 10% of the most expensive painting ever (Salvator Mundi by Leonardo da Vinci, $450.3 million). And this is still happening today. Most expensive living artist: Jeff Koons, $91 million, and most expensive female artist is only $11.4 million: Jenny Saville. So 30 years after the Guerrilla Girls already asked in 1989: ‘Do Women Have To Be Naked To Get Into the Met. Museum?’, the answer is still yes. There’s no equality between men and women, there’s no equality in art. We have to smash the patriarchy.
Look Again
Microfibre cloth, to make you look even better, 15 x 18 cm, 2021
Picasso - Matisse - Modigliani
Studio Seine, Rotterdam, group show Let's get political, co-curated by Joyce Overheul (artworks on the right: Joyce Overheul)
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War Rug The End
Time to end racism and time to stop saying that in covert terms.
Wall tapestry, 100% cotton, 50 x 60 inches (125 x 150 cm), 2021
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PROJECT 50-50 LADY JUSTICE
Tyna Adebowale, Xee #shecalledmewoman
Wall tapestry, 100% cotton, 50 x 60 inches (125 x 150 cm), 2021
Dana Variano, Free Your Gender
Wall tapestry, 100% cotton, 50 x 60 inches (125 x 150 cm), 2021
For the exhibition 50-50 Lady Justice female artists were invited to choose a male artist as a partner. I thought that 50/50 was too binary, so I asked the brilliant non-binary artist, Dana Variano @felttipfeelings from LA and also gave my own spot to a second non-binary artist, the amazing Tyna Adebowale @tyna_adebowale from Amsterdam to create more inclusivity. So in this show there was no Airco Caravan but instead these two amazing artists who both made a ‘war rug’.
======= end project 50-50 Lady Justice ========
WHITENESS WAR RUGS
Washing Mr. White
Questioning white privilege.
War rugs, folded wall tapestries, 100% cotton, 60 x 80 inches (150 x 200 cm), 2021
Whitewashing 23 x 27 x 10 inches (60 x 70 x 25 cm)
Mr. White Ultimate Whiteness 13 x 21 x 3 inches (35 x 54 x 7 cm)
Whiteness Boosters
Woven, 100% cotton, clothes hanger, 20 x 27 inches (50 x 70 cm), 2021
War Rug Mayonnaise
From the series Temporal Space and Mayonnaise
Wall tapestry, 100% cotton, 60 x 80 inches (150 x 200 cm), 2021
War Rug Mayonnaise Brown
From the series Temporal Space and Mayonnaise
Wall tapestry, 100% cotton, 60 x 80 inches (150 x 200 cm), 2021
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COVID-19
In the COVID-19 / Corona pandemic starting in March 2020, face masks, soap, gloves, paper towels are the weapons, instead of the traditional kalashnikovs and tanks on the war rugs. Three war rugs were created as a part of the 'Corona Soap 2020' exhibition. So use soap, disinfect, wash your hands, keep social distance, stay home, stay safe.
War Rug Corona Protection
In the covid-19 pandemic, face masks, soap, gloves paper towels are the weapons.
Wall tapestry, 100% cotton, 50 x 60 inches (125 x 150 cm), 2020
War Rug Treatment
A certain president suggested to inject detergents and swallow hydrochloroquine as a treatment for the covid-19 virus. While we know that would make things worse. The USA had the most casualties and infections due to covid-19. Use garlic and don’t forget to buy extra toilet paper. It's a war out there.
Wall tapestry, 100% cotton, 50 x 60 inches (125 x 150 cm), 2020, private collection
Get your personal unique War Rug
with 8-10 of your own objects: €2,700 (POC get a 20% discount).
War Rug Pandemic
The other pandemic is racism. Despite corona, many people, black and white together, protested in the streets worldwide after Geaorge Floyd was killed by the police.
Wall tapestry, 100% cotton, 50 x 60 inches (125 x 150 cm), 2020
View the CORONA SOAP 2020 solo show on this page
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Allahu Akbar
War rug: collage of 10 paintings from the series 'Weapon: Other', unusual murder weapons. War rugs were first woven when Russia occupied Afghanistan in the eighties, visualising tanks, helicopters, hand grenades, kalashnikovs, etc. The distinctive characteristic of these rugs is their capacity to convey their makers' experiences and interpretations of the circumstances and politics of war and conflict in the region. Collage of 8 unusual murder weapons from the 'Weapon: Other' series.Wall tapestry, 100% cotton, 60 x 80 inches (150 x 200 cm), 2017, private collection
Censored
In a group show in 2019 this wall tapestry was censored. A Marrocan-Dutch postman considered it offensive. Why he thought so, is unknown, I got no chance to talk to him, he didn't know the background of this series. I had to remove it immediately. Art critic Joyce Roodnat who visited the show wrote a column about it:
> 'Allahu Akbar'... Oh My God! (Dutch)
> Article on Artsy about War rugs
- before - The left war rug had to be removed, Popinnart, Loods 6, 2019
- after - This is an artist's silent protest after censorship
omg
OMG - Oh My God
War rug: collage of 7 paintings from the series 'Weapon: Other', unusual murder weapons.Wall tapestry, 100% cotton, 60 x 80 inches (150 x 200 cm), 2017
IJssel Biennial, Netherlands, June - September 2017. The war rugs, the male/female diptych, were on view for 4 months.
fuck
FUCK
War rug: collage of 9 paintings from the series 'Weapon: Other', unusual murder weapons.Wall tapestry, 100% cotton, 60 x 80 inches (150 x 200 cm), 2017, private collection
Popinnart, Amsterdam, 2019
fart air
Fart Air
Art rug: collage of 8 paintings from the series Weapon: Other & Associates. Art fairs have a double feeling for me; seeing great art is very inspiring, but the other side has a lot of hot air to it.So this art rug is also a bit of a war rug, displaying some of my heroes.
Wall tapestry, 100% cotton, 60 x 80 inches (150 x 200 cm), 2017
War Rug DIY
War rug: collage of paintings from the series 'Weapon: Other', unusual murder weapons.
Wall tapestry, 100% cotton, 50 x 60 inches (125 x 150 cm), 2017
Installation with toaster, Arti et Amicitiae, Amsterdam, 2017
War Rug Coffee Time
War rug: collage of paintings from the series 'Weapon: Other', unusual murder weapons.
Wall tapestry, 100% cotton, 50 x 60 inches (125 x 150 cm), 2017, private collection
> Column in NRC national Newspaper about the 'Weapon: Other' tapestry 2018/06/14
War Rug Dirty Laundry
War rug: collage of paintings from the series 'Weapon: Other', unusual murder weapons.
Wall tapestry, 100% cotton, 50 x 60 inches (125 x 150 cm), 2017, private collection
War Rug Dirty Laundry on the wall of the owner.
War Rug Vacuum
War rug: collage of paintings from the series 'Weapon: Other', unusual murder weapons.
Wall tapestry, 100% cotton, 50 x 60 inches (125 x 150 cm), 2017
Popinnart, old cinema, Amsterdam, 2018
Not Suitable
As a response to the growing intolerance in the world and in the art world I made this tapestries, based on a sign in MoMA, New York. Apparently today visitors have to be warned if there’s any possibly inconvenient images like nudity…. I mean, really. You’re in a museum, what do you expect!
Wall tapestry, 100% cotton, 50 x 60 inches (125 x 150 cm), 2017
Disturbing
This sign was also in MoMA. There was some imagery of naked kids. Is this really a threat to innocent child's eyes? Or are all grown ups latent pedofiles? Maybe we are overreacting a little bit?
Wall tapestry, 100% cotton, 50 x 60 inches (125 x 150 cm), 2017
Popinnart, Loods 6, Amsterdam, 2019