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Undeniably this generation’s best-selling artist, National Artist for Visual Arts Ben “BenCab” Cabrera has lent his work once more to a different type of canvas – Moooi carpets. His third and latest collaboration with the Dutch company led to a well-attended exhibit at The Peninsula Manila. Eight impressive large-scale tapestries bore his iconic characters Sabel and Isadora.
Abitare Internazionale, a family-run company distributing fine contemporary European furniture, collaborated with Bencab to reproduce his original artwork as tapestries made by Moooi Carpets. They also display the tapestries at their showroom, accessible by appointment for interested parties.
Moooi Carpets uses state-of-the-art technology to be able to transfer Bencab’s artwork onto their carpets. Martien Valentijn, CEO of Moooi Carpets, describes the special printer of enormous proportions to make this process possible. “The Chromojet printer is basically a 100 meter long printer that’s 4 meters wide. We print under high pressure. From left to right the printer is using 3,000 nozzles to print dots at exactly the right moment and spot.”
The carpets used for the Bencab x Moooi collaboration are a low pile polyamide acrylic. It’s a material that’s naturally stain resistant and hard wearing. A close look at the carpets shows Bencab’s artwork printed in high-definition, with every stroke of the original conveyed precisely with accurate tones.
The largest artwork, entitled “Sette Movimenti”, shows a group of seven women in colorful, voluminous clothing. “Isidora’s Dance” also features seven women against cooler shades of blue. Each figure is dancing with graceful lines that are all interpreted with integrity onto the carpets. The “Madonna IV” – a mother wrapping a child in an embrace – is an impressive version with every small stroke reflected onto the tapestry. Bencab’s most well-known Sabel – a series he’s been painting since 1964 – is featured in a tryptych.
“When we started with Moooi Carpets and we discussed it with founder Marcel Wanders we saw [the carpet] as a canvas for designers for the design industry where they can do anything they want,” says Valentijn. “There’s no limitation in colors. Definition is much much higher now so you can print any photo or realistic design on the canvas. This enables designers to do anything they want, especially art.”
These Bencab x Moooi carpets are a welcome addition to fans of Bencab or art collectors in general. “In 2015, Bencab’s “Sabel” fetched PHP 46.72 million at León Gallery’s Magnificent September Auction…” as per Abitare Internazionale, they have received directives from Bencab not to disclose detailed amounts of his work, especially from previous auctions. It’s no wonder why so many are jumping at this chance to add this limited series to their collection.
Read more: Fusing Old and New: National Artist Benedicto “BenCab” Cabrera
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