January 6, 2017

Press Release

Washington, DC – HENZEL STUDIO is proud to partner with Paddle8 for an auction of 23 rugs that will benefit GoodWeave®, the world’s leading international nonprofit organization working to end child labor in the carpet industry, while offering educational opportunities to children in weaving communities. GoodWeave was founded on a simple premise: If enough people demand certified child-labor-free rugs, manufacturers will employ only skilled adult artisans, and children will no longer be exploited in the carpet industry. All Henzel Studio rugs carry the GoodWeave label, and its certification is the best assurance that a rug is child-labor-free.

“As a committed partner in GoodWeave’s mission to end child labor, Henzel Studio is bridging the finest contemporary artists in the world to one of the most pressing human rights problems of our time.”
– Nina Smith, CEO GoodWeave International

“Art rugs have been around for quite some time in various forms, and some of the most prominent artists including Francis Bacon, Louise Bourgeois, Alexander Calder, Robert Indiana, Mike Kelley, Ellsworth Kelly, Fernand Leger, Roy Lichtenstein, Henri Matisse, Joan Miro and Pablo Picasso have all turned to the media at some point in their oeuvre. However, rather than look back, we’re looking to encapsulate facets of contemporary art and work with a curated group of artists that simultaneously express their ethos within a broad yet defined scope. Having more than fifteen leading contemporary artists collaborate in this capacity makes Henzel Studio Collaborations an unprecedented program, even though the artisan practices remind us that the possibility has always been there.”
– Joakim Andreasson, curator for Henzel Studio

“The spectacular detail of these coverings – handwoven by Nepalese artisans – layers new meaning to the term installation art.”
– Vogue

“Henzel’s strong social and environmental ethic has underpinned the company from the outset, and all the rugs in the series will be made using responsibly sourced materials in workshops overseen by the independent trade body GoodWeave”
– Wallpaper

The auction takes place January 9 – 23, 2017.
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About GoodWeave: Founded in 1995, GoodWeave is ending child labor by harnessing the power of the marketplace. The organization works at both ends of the supply chain – growing market preference for certified product in consumer countries and inspecting production sites along South Asia’s carpet belt. Any child found working is offered counseling, medical care, education and (if needed) a home – social programs supported by the sale of certified rugs. To date, GoodWeave has directly freed more than 3,600 children from labor on the looms, educated nearly 15,000 children, and improved the working conditions for 50,000 weavers in partnership with 140 import brands worldwide. On its 20th anniversary, GoodWeave announced a major expansion to bring its model to Nepal’s brick kilns and India’s apparel industry.

About Henzel Studio: Henzel Studio is a Swedish luxury rug manufacturer established in 1999. Henzel Studio’s ethos is based on the artistic practice of Calle Henzel, founder and creative director. Over the past 20 years, he has translated his artistic practice as painter and collage artist into the medium at hand, positioning Henzel Studio as one of the most progressive luxury rug brands in the world. All pieces are made by hand, using centuries’ old weaving techniques that make each rug one of a kind. www.henzelstudio.com