Liselot Cobelens, California Drought (from the Dryland series), 2024, Wool, 98 ½ x 78 ¾ inches. Courtesy of the artist. Made possible by The Netherlands America Foundation, Gemeente Den Bosch, Lighton International Artists Exchange Program, donations through Voordekunst, the Cultuurfonds Brabant, and Csrugs.

RugLife is a compelling contemporary art exhibition at the Pratt Manhattan Gallery, running from February 6 through May 23, 2026. 

Originally organized by the Museum of Craft and Design in San Francisco, the show features 14 global artists who reinvent the rug as a powerful medium for social and political commentary.

Curators Ginger Gregg Duggan and Judith Hoos Fox have assembled a diverse group of creators from the U.S., Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. 

These artists utilize both traditional and unconventional materials—ranging from classic yarn and cardboard to hair combs and repurposed carpets—to strip the rug of its purely functional role. 

By transforming this familiar domestic object, the exhibition explores urgent modern themes such as social justice, identity, technology, the environment, and the shifting nature of global movement and "home."

Featured Artists

The exhibition includes works by Ai Weiwei, Azra Akšamija, Nevin Aladağ, Ali Cha’aban, Sonya Clark, Liselot Cobelens, Nicholas Galanin, Johannah Herr, Oksana Levchenya, Noelle Mason, Wendy Plomp, Stéphanie Saadé, Slavs & Tatars, and Andrea Zittel.

Visit Information

Location:  Pratt Manhattan Gallery, 144 West 14th St, New York, NY