Make Rugs Not War: Jan Kath at Documenta 15

STEP Partner Jan Kath exhibits new collection Rug Bombs at Documenta 15 in Kassel, Germany. On view now through September 25, 2022.

Jan Kath, ON HIGH SEAS, 2022 Wool & Silk on Cotton, 11 x 11 Knot, 394 cm x 307 cm

The fifteenth edition of Documenta – on now through September 25, 2022 in Kassel, Germany – features a collection of 11 large-scale rugs by long-time STEP Partner Jan Kath. The collection, titled Rug Bombs, addresses themes of war, violence and conflict and the feeling of helplessness that results from the flood of related imagery that appears throughout media. Observing each rug to be like its own unique painting, the pieces are first designed on computer before being sent to STEP-monitored fair trade workshops in Kathmandu, Nepal and Agra, India where they are hand-knotted by local artisans. Thus, both expressly and implicitly, Rug Bombsacts as a continuation of a longstanding reality of rug making, in which the lived realities of the artisan are reflected in the countless knots tied together.

STEP is proud of its role in this project, sharing in the artist’s priority to spread awareness and instil change through methods and mediums that are not only inclusive and considerate in message, but also in practice.