Rugs designed by eleven leading Irish artists go on show in Dublin
Artist designed rugs will be auctioned off with a percentage of the proceeds donated to the Irish Wildlife Trust
A series of hand-tufted rugs, designed by some of Ireland’s leading contemporary artists, will go on display to the public as part of a free exhibition at the Irish Georgian Society’s City Assembly House on South William Street, Dublin, from 17 to 27 September.
The exhibition, titled Place, is the latest collection by Ceadogán Rugmakers, and following the exhibition the rugs will go under the hammer at Whyte’s auctioneers, with a percentage of the proceeds donated to the Irish Wildlife Trust.
Three years in the making, Place brings together works by Guggi, Kathy Prendergast, Dorothy Cross, Serena Caulfield, Leah Hewson, Paul Hallahan, Maria Simonds-Gooding, Tom Climent, Gwen O’Dowd, Eleanor McCaughey and The Project Twins. As part of Culture Night Dublin, on the evening of Friday 18 September, members of the public will have the opportunity to meet some of the exhibiting artists.
Each artist has translated their individual visual language into a rug or wall hanging, hand-tufted by Ceadogán at their studio on the shores of Bannow Bay, Co. Wexford. Speaking ahead of the exhibition, artist Guggi remarked:
“My rug is a wonderful interpretation in textile form of a key piece from my early work, and very special to see it given a new life in a different medium. I would encourage visitors to come and be inspired by the collection.”
For over four decades, Ceadogán has built an international reputation for hand-tufted rugs found in embassies, hotels and private residences around the world. Every piece begins with natural fibres including silk, hemp and wool worked entirely by hand. Artist Leah Hewson added:
“Seeing my work translated into a rug has been one of the real joys of this project. I've always loved the grounding energy of lying on the floor, so it felt right to make something you can actually sink into. My piece is 'Seascair Tír' or 'A Snug Land' is a soft place to land and get lost in a landscape of your own.”
Ceadogán has established a herd of alpacas at its Wexford studio, and much of the fibre used in the new works has been shorn, spun and dyed from wool raised on site. In keeping with the brand’s ethos of giving back to nature, 10 percent of proceeds will be donated to the Irish Wildlife Trust.
Each artist-designed rug comes in an edition of five and are expected to fetch between €1,500 and €16,000; a previous Ceadogán-designed rug by artist Sean Scully fetched €85,000 in February 2023.
Whytes auctioneers are now taking bids on the new collection see whytes.ie
For further information on the exhibition see: ceadogan.ie
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