Dirk Van Saene’s Rug for Rik Wouters at MoMu
This year marks the 100th anniversary of Rik Wouters’ death, marking a fitting occasion to remember the Fauvist painter. In collaboration with the Royal Museum of Fine Arts Antwerp, the MoMu — a.k.a. the Fashion Museum of the Province of Antwerp — has recently opened the exhibition Rik Wouters & the Private Utopia. On the occasion of the exhibition, the MoMu has invited Dirk Van Saene to commemorate his fellow Belgian forbear and to interpret the notion of utopia.
In keeping with Wouters’ methodology, the fashion designer has created a rug that features imagery from his personal life and surroundings. From the floral garden motifs to the neighbour’s cats, the imagery is arranged around the center of the circular rug, which measures 5m in diameter. Presented as a piece of seating, Van Saene’s piece is among the contemporary designs that are exhibited alongside 60 works by Wouters.
Limited Edition produced the rug from superior-quality Australian merino wool, which was hand-dyed and later hand-tufted in Belgium. The Moeskroen-based manufacturer will also present a variation of this rug at the Biennale Interieur next month. The original rug will be on view in Rik Wouters & the Private Utopia until 26 February, 2017.
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