HENZEL STUDIO IS COLLABORATING with a dozen artists including Mickalene Thomas on a collection of art rugs that will officially launch at Barneys New York on May 7. “Candy Crush” by Thomas, is a free-form, hand-knotted rug made of Himalayan wool and silk (shown above). According to Henzel, a Swedish luxury rug manufacturer, Thomas’s floor art is “based on a photo drawing collage. The image is combined with one of Thomas’ hair portraits to bring in a graphic element on top of the decorative and floral background, making the final image a unique digital collage.”
Vogue featured a brief report on the collaboration in its April 2014 (Kim & Kanye) issue on page 174. “There is no difference between the canvas and the carpet,” Thomas told the magazine.
“There is no difference between the canvas and the carpet.”
— Mickalene Thomas, Vogue
Brooklyn-based Thomas, whose work features powerful depictions of women and fantastic images of colorful interiors inspired by vintage shelter magazines, has reproduced her work on functional objects before. In 2009, she offered a cloth tote bag; a set of four melamine trays in a limited-edition of 250 in 2012; and earlier this year “Lea,” a signed and numbered wool blend blanket was issued in an edition of 125.
The Henzel rug collection, including “Candy Crush” by Thomas, will be displayed at Barneys from May 7 to June 9, 2014. CT
IMAGE: “Candy Crush” by Mickalene Thomas via Henzel Studio
