Makeda

With a background in graffiti, American visual artist Vizie has made his mark in cities across the US. The lock down in New York, with kids being home schooled, meant quite an adjustment in trying to maintain his daily artistic work. In making his artwork for Quarantine Stories, Vizie decided to collaborate with his young daughter instead of trying to do work without her. Together they made collages by arranging random scraps of paper leftover from her home-schooling projects. Vizie was inspired by the pure randomness of making marks and shapes that characterize a child’s first artistic endeavours. . @eiziv #graffiti #murals #publicart #handknottedrugs #collage #paperscraps #artcollab #quarantinestories #artistsinquarantine

Zhou Kuang is a fashion designer based in Wuhan, China. Her inspiration for the rug pattern came from the communication that erupted since the outbreak of Corona and onset of quarantine. She found that the language used during quarantine could perhaps be divided into two extremes: soft and sharp, or warm and cold. Some words have the power to heal, while others can hurt in an invisible way. Kuang was inspired by Chinese characters, like ’’ for heart and adds a sword stabbing through it. She also made deliberate deviations to some other characters, raising questions of the intent of communication and things not always being what they seem. . #quarantinestories #artistsinquarantine #fashiondesigner #wuhan #communication #handknottedrug #artcollab

Milan based Mattia Turco’s art is based on frequencies and noise. For him, quarantine has meant an opportunity to further his research on his own internal noise. With an eye to the inside, he intercepts inner noise and it emerges in his artwork for the Quarantine Stories rug as flashes and frames that overlap and create blurry compositions. They appear like remote messages from the depths of the universe, ready to be deciphered and analyzed. For Turco, the understanding that time and life continues to flow even if temporarily blocked by quarantine was a source of strength. . #artistsinquarantine #painting #handknottedrug #frequencies #abstractart #innernoise #artistcollaboration #artcollab #stockholmdesignweek #stockholmdesignweek2021

In her art, Madrid based visual artist and potter Ana Cano Brookbank, uses colour, simple shapes and space as resources for her compositions. Her pattern for Quarantine Stories is based on simple designs where abstract forms take centre stage. Pure colour representations dialogue with domestic objects that many of us have been surrounded by in our homes during quarantine - such as vases, textiles and plants.

Let me introduce my fellow Quarantine Stories artists ! Estefania Leigthon is a self-taught muralist who has developed a style with references to Chilean political muralism in terms of the simple figures, thick lines and flat colours. . Her artwork for the Quarantine Stories rug is based on 2 kinds of reflections that she had during quarantine: Firstly, how fundamental the eyes are as a means of expression and communication in times of face masks and social distancing. T...he gaze is a way of overcoming the physical distance and to express connection and closeness. Secondly, the restrictions have enforced a new way of living; making it increasingly clear what is actually essential in life and what constitutes a good life. Her pattern represents a return to our roots and putting hands and feet in the soil to appreciate all the bounty that nature has to give. See more