Rudolf Stingel, a New York-based artist with an affinity for interactive, large-scale installations, has managed to make wall-to-wall carpeting cool. As part of his solo show at the Palazzo Grassi, in Venice, Italy, the Italian-born Stingel covered the entire 5,000-square-meter surface (that's three floors!) with Ottoman carpeting—or rather—synthetic material printed to look like Ottoman carpeting. Though this is not the first time the artist has canvassed a space with lots o' rug, here he was inspired in part by the history of the Palazzo Grassi and the history of Venice, which was once home a trading center for Middle Eastern rugs.
Stingel's further reasoning for tacking up 80,000 square feet of carpeting? Both a subtle nod to psychiatrist Sigmund Freud's Vienna study (also absurdly carpeted) and an effort to bring attention to the architecture of the exhibition space, specifically in relationship to the paintings it houses. Indeed, mounted on the deep-red rugs are black-and-white canvases, also by Stingel. Incidentally, this is the first time the museum has ever devoted the whole place to the work of a single artist, and everyone but the vacuum-wielding cleaning staff—just a guess here—seem to be receiving the show quite well. The exhibition is on view until New Year's; do check out a whole lot more images over on Design Boom.
· Rudolf Stingel covers Palazzo Grassi's interior in carpet [Design Boom]
· Rudolf Stingel's magic carpet ride [Art in America]
· Rudolf Stingel 'Plan B' [Creative Time]
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