Mar 2025

Alexander Arrechea × TeHer Art Rugs

The Exclusive Hand and Eye Collection

TeHer Art Rugs is proud to present the Hand and Eye rugs, created in an exclusive, direct collaboration with Cuban artist Alexander Arrechea. Known for his monumental public installations, architectural interventions, and incisive explorations of surveillance, visibility, and social structures, Arrechea now extends his artistic practice into textiles.

This marks the first time Arrechea’s distinctive visual language has been translated into Tibetan hand-knotted rugs from Nepal, resulting in a collection that is as conceptually powerful as it is materially exquisite.

A Collaboration Rooted in Dialogue

The Hand and Eye rugs were not adaptations or second-hand designs—they were conceived directly with Arrechea himself, ensuring every decision, from scale to motif, was faithful to his vision.

The Eye: a symbol of perception, vigilance, and surveillance—recurring throughout Arrechea’s work.

The Hand: a metaphor for agency, creation, and human labor.

Together, they form a dialogue about how we see and how we shape the world around us. In rug form, these motifs gain a new tactile dimension, inviting the viewer not just to look, but to inhabit and physically interact with the artwork.

Crafting the Rugs in Nepal

The collection was handwoven by master artisans in Nepal using the Tibetan hand-knotting technique, a process that requires months of labor and centuries of inherited knowledge.

Materials: Himalayan wool blended with yak hair and bamboo silk, chosen for their durability, luster, and ability to carry subtle shifts in color.

Technique: Each rug contains up to 150 knots per square inch, allowing fine details of Arrechea’s imagery to be woven with clarity.

Texture: Multiple pile heights create sculptural reliefs—so that the motifs of the hand and eye feel almost carved into the surface.

This fusion of conceptual art and artisanal mastery results in a rug that is at once a functional object and a collectible artwork.

About Alexander Arrechea

Born in 1970 in Trinidad, Cuba, Alexander Arrechea first gained recognition as a founding member of the collective Los Carpinteros, known for their architectural and socially charged works. Since embarking on his solo career, Arrechea has become one of the most influential Cuban contemporary artists.

His work has been featured in major exhibitions worldwide, including:

MoMA (New York)

Museo Reina Sofía (Madrid)

MOCA (Los Angeles)

The Havana Biennial

Museum of Latin American Art (Long Beach)

Arrechea’s art consistently explores the politics of space—how architecture reflects systems of power, and how symbols like the hand and eye can reveal hidden tensions in society.

The Hand and Eye rugs continue this exploration, reimagined in a medium that blurs the boundary between fine art and design.