This Argentine Rug Artist Is Changing Everything We Ever Thought About Carpets

You know it's a good day when an artist manages to transform an everyday object you've taken for granted into a creature as mysterious as it is gorgeous. Today we're feeling that way about rugs, thanks to Argentine artist Alexandra Kehayoglou, our new Instagram obsession. With her tactile artworks, Kehayoglou transforms rugs from measly givers of burns into a field of bizarre bottom-dwelling barnacles, comforting and alien all at once. Kehayoglou's artworks mimic the green pastures of her native Argentina, her hand-tufted rugs resembling surreal, shrunken hills and valleys of the Latin American landscape. Kehayoglo combines her passion for Argentina's landscape with the textile tradition bestowed upon her by her grandparents, immigrated from Greece to Argentina. “I grew up surrounded by rugs,” she explained to Instagram. "I realized that the knowledge of rugs I had was in my genes. Using it as an artist became inevitable." Some of Kehayoglou's rugworks -- landing somewhere between Claude Monet and Anna Betbeze -- dwell solely on the ground while others creep up onto canvases, chairs, stools and walls, mimicking mutated organic growths or conventional hanging artworks. "I would like everyone that looks at my pieces to feel that they are entering a new context," she wrote. "The pieces are big and feel infinite. They are meant to be portals that have the power of taking you where your memories are." There's something about Kehayoglou's mix of youthful playfulness and deep-rooted cultural tradition that has us feeling all kinds of emotions. It's safe to say we'll never look at a rug the same way again. Follow Kehayoglou on Instagram to stay updated with her latest and furriest creations.

READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT www.huffingtonpost.com