TOMORROW'S TIGERS
Image: Pounce. Kiki Smith. 2018-2019. Hand-knotted, hand-spun, hand-dyed natural wool. 105 x 203cm, approx. Limited edition of 10, plus two artist's proofs. Courtesy of the artist.
Tomorrow’s Tigers returns for 2022, featuring specially commissioned, limited edition art rugs by 12 internationally renowned artists. The stellar line up comprises Ai Weiwei, Anish Kapoor, Bernard Frize, Francesco Clemente, Gary Hume, Harland Miller, Kiki Smith, Maya Lin, Peter Doig, Raqib Shaw, Reena Saini Kallat, and Rose Wylie.
Image: What the tiger says: Bengali: gorgon, Finnish: grrrrrr, Thai: ai hhoun houn. For how many times? 2018-2019. Bernard Frize. Hand-knotted, hand-spun, hand-dyed natural wool. 196 x 103cm approx. Limited edition of 10 plus two artist's proofs. Courtesy of the artist.
A major fundraising initiative for World Wildlife Fund (WWF), devised and curated by Artwise Curators, these new, highly collectible art rugs will be exhibited at Sotheby's, and are for sale via artforyourworld.com.
Image: Tyger, 2022. Ai Weiwei. Hand-knotted, hand-spun, hand-dyed natural Ghazni wool. 200x200cm. Unique with two artist's proofs. Courtesy of the artist.
Coinciding with lunar Year of the Tiger, and the culmination of the global TX2 commitment to double wild tiger numbers, Tomorrow’s Tigers’ goal this year is to total over £1 million from art rug sales since the project’s launch, as it continues to highlight the threat to wild tiger populations and the international efforts to address this.
Image: Tiger Fight, 2022. Peter Doig. Hand-knotted, hand-spun, hand-dyed natural wool and silk. 200x165cm. Courtesy of the artist.
Taking inspiration from the increasingly rare antique tiger rugs of Tibet, each artist has responded to both the splendour and the grave plight of tigers in the wild by creating their own vision of what a tiger rug could be.
Image: Ruled Paper (Red, Blue, White), 2018-2019. Reena Saini Kallat. Hand-knotted, hand-spun, hand-dyed natural wool and silk, wool-covered wire. 195 x 129 cm approx. Limited edition of 10 plus two artist's proofs. Courtesy of the artist.
Tibetan Tiger rugs hold huge cultural significance. First created in Tibet in the 19th century as an act of veneration, these sacred rugs convey some of the awe and wonder of this powerful and majestic animal.
Image: Tiger, Tiger, (detail), 2018-2019. Rose Wylie. Courtesy of the artist.
Traditionally the rugs were made as gifts for monks, known as lamas; the tiger skin motif was thought to protect the person during meditation. Like their new counterparts, the rugs range from the broadly abstract to the more clearly descriptive— all paying homage to the sublime beauty of the endangered tiger.
Image: Portrait photography of Ai Weiwei with Tomorrow's Tigers team. Photo: Thierry Bal.