alexandra kehayoglou hand-tufts carpeted pastorial landscapes of sublime realities

alexandra kehayoglou hand-tufts carpeted pastorial landscapes of sublime realities
(above) ‘refugio para un recuerdo’

alexandra kehayoglou develops large format sculptures using textiles, primarily constructing carpet works which reflect sublime realities in the form of functional art. the argentinian creative is interested in employing production processes that link art to craft.

‘refugio para unos días felices’

each carpet kehayoglou creates is hand-tufted in her buenos aires studio, produced from materials retrieved from the factory el espartano — a textile and carpet manufacturer owned by her family. kehayoglou collects el espartano’s discarded materials and takes them as her prime medium, using a pistol to manipulate the threads into the point by point weft that breeds the final piece. the production process is long and complex and almost in a way performative, because of the corporeality of the work, and the technical precision required by her.

‘refugio para una tarde de lluvia’

the themes kehayoglou touches on are related to nature, in which she realizes immersive textile expanses of greenlands, paddocks and shelters that while functioning as carpets, invite the viewer to participate and contemplate through the use of each one. every work that kehayoglou develops is unique in texture and pattern, with an unrepeatable palette that is derived from her family’s textile traditions.

‘refugio para un venado’

‘pastizal’

‘pastizal praxis’

‘sembrando pastizales por la ciudad’

detail of ‘sembrando pastizales por la ciudad’

‘camino’

‘laguna’

‘pastizales’

‘pastizales los molles’

video courtesy of alexandra kehayoglou