"Beauty is in the eye of the beholder"—this probably perfectly encapsulates the whole idea behind art. Some lean towards classical watercolors, others prefer modern artwork, then there are sculpture lovers and people who love performing arts. When it comes to art, it's seemingly a universally enticing phenomenon where every drop of creativity has people who appreciate it.
So it's no surprise that from time to time, a brilliant flash of artistic endeavor goes viral on the internet. In this case, it's a special rug—detailed, meticulous, and carved right into the floor (so you don't have to worry about moving it when you want to rearrange the furniture, a win!) This wonderful rug became an internet sensation due to its unique nature: it gathered 3.7K likes on Facebook and was shared 13K times.
People expect rugs to be placed on the floor, but this Spanish artist surprised the world with one that's carved into it
Image credits: Selva Aparicio
The rug was created by Selva Aparicio from Spain. She works between cities and continents, ranging from Spain, where she was born, to the USA. She has quite a list of exhibitions under her belt, and Newcity Art even named her one of the Breakout Artists 2020.
Nature was a great inspiration for her creative process, thus the rug was carved into the oak floor
Image credits: Selva Aparicio
Aparicio draws inspiration from nature, as well as the relation between life and death. This ensures her works have both instant impact and a deeper meaning. According to her, the rug carved into the oak floor is called "Childhood Memories" and was created in 2017. She stated the art piece was "covering and exposing, trauma and bearing witness."
People online fell in love with the detailed design and the impressive skill that the rug displays
Image credits: Selva Aparicio
The rug is certainly impressive, with people on Facebook praising it for its detail and scope. Thousands of people shared the post, starting a flood of support for the artist—truly real proof that art, in all its forms, has a way of influencing the masses.
Creativity knows no bounds, as the carved rug illustrated. And if you need any more convincing that a unique point of view can make all the difference, we have some other examples of creative twists on regular items.
Rugs clearly are some of the preferred methods of artistic experimentation, and this pixelated rug fits the bill perfectly
Image credits: Faig Ahmed
Let's begin with another rug, only this time, it's melting! My colleagues previously covered the talent of Faig Ahmed, an internationally recognized Azerbaijani artist whose impressive rugs proved that non-traditional art can stand on the same stage as any contemporary art. His rugs (or versions of them) can be found in a variety of exhibitions and are well worth the attention they receive.
And this is a sweet addition to the rug collection shaped to be a creative twist of the Persian rug
Image credits: Alana Jones-Mann
And if you have a sweet tooth, you'll be pleased to know that art, rugs, and pastries make for a perfect combination. Alana Jones-Mann, a baker from the USA, astounded the internet with wonderful renditions of rug cakes (for those interested, the story was covered here). She took inspiration from Persian rugs with their myriad of colors and intricate designs.
Artwork and rugs meet on the middle ground in this spray painted creation from one of the community members
Image credits: Mateo WallPainter
Lastly, rugs can be not the art itself (despite the limitless potential, as we have seen) but the canvas upon which the creativity is revealed. Mateo WallPainter, a community member right here at Bored Panda, shared his talent to create wonderful artwork by spray painting on Persian rugs—and the results are indisputably awe-inspiring.
And if you like more simplistic version of the rugs that still maintain a unique flair, why not check these out?
Some artists chose to use an all-natural approach like this fascinating moss floor mat for the bathroom
Image credits: Nguyen La Chanh
Others are leaning towards something more original, such as a scaly monster that's a fantastic conversation starter
Image credits: Joshua Ben Longo
And there are those artists who use interactivity as the main motif: you can draw on it with your hands
Image credits: Giles Miller