Make Rugs Not War

German Designer, Jan Kath, thematizes violence and the war-like conflicts of past decades through his newest exhibit, “Rug Bombs.” His inspiration stems from the wars in Iraq and Syria, along with the wars’ consequences and Syrian refugee crisis. Jan’s pieces are a pop-art take on traditional Afghan war rugs which have been around since the late 70’s. He uses traditional patterns such as Bidjar, Tabriz and Serapi to depict war-like scenes; a subject he has been working on since 2015. Each piece is transformed from a high resolution photo, the weavers turn each pixel into a knot through techniques hundreds of years old.

”Rugs are a mirror of their time. in their many millions of knot tied together out of wool and silk, they have always reflected the lived realities of the people who design them.”- Jan Kath