Iwan Maktabi Unveils A Collective Project Like No Other, Created By Not One But Four Lebanese Artists

“Rumi’s Dream and Other Stories” by Rumi Dalle, Hala Matta, Roula Salamoun, and design duo David/Nicolas are mixing mediums to tell a dreamlike story…

There’s something so inspiring when artistic minds come together, interpreting tales through their own mediums, each one adding their own individual layer of storytelling to create something truly inspiring, reminiscent of a lucid dream.

Having recently unveiled a new collection at Nomad St. Moritz’s summer edition for its second participation at the travelling exhibition, Dubai and Beirut-based carpet gallery Iwan Maktabi presents Rumi’s Dream and Other Stories by Rumi Dalle, Hala Matta and Roula Salamoun, alongside design duo David/Nicolas.

STRATA Mini and STRATA Maxi in blue. Handmade in Nepal using wool and natural silk on cotton base. 141x237cm

Roula’s Strata collection – designed to portray the multi-layered elements of urban living – David/Nicolas’ Orientations collection and Hala’s series of playful ceramic totems fearlessly complement Rumi’s It Felt Like a Dream, a collection made up of tapestry-like sculptures, entitled the likes of ‘The Architect’ and ‘Look at Me.’

Play time totem, stoneware, glazed and raku fired and Juicy totem, stoneware, glazed fired 1200

The collective works focus on telling the tale of a journey, not entirely similar to Rumi’s own personal story, who experiments with various mediums like felt and wool to create the respective works of art.

With roots tracing back to 1926, third generation carpet gallery Iwan Maktabi houses an impressive private collection of collectible carpets which have played a vast role in shaping the knowledge of design in Lebanon and the surrounding regions.

It felt like a dream collection. The Architect. Rumi Dalle. 55x140x208cm

Helmed by a brother-sister trio, since its launch the brand continues to celebrate local craftsmanship and bespoke, collectible art made by many renowned artists, architects and designers.

SOUTH in Brick – Limited Edition Orientations Collection. 2021. Persian knot, wool and silk mix. 200x300cm

For more information, visit Iwanmaktabi.com

Images supplied. Written by Laura Kell and Ayesha Sohail