For immediate release
September 23rd, 2025
CONTACT: MELINA FINKELSTEIN, MELINA@MELINAFINKELSTEIN.COM
MELINA FINKELSTEIN, BAY AREA ARTIST AND RUG DESIGNER TO EXHIBIT AT CARPET DIEM PARIS 2025
23 - 26 October 2025
Espace Commines - PARIS during Art Basel and Design Miami.
CARPET DIEM, an ART & DESIGN event in Paris.
The third edition of “Carpet Diem” will be held in Paris, 23-26 October 2025, at Espace Commines, during Art Basel and Design Miami.
This hymn to contemporary textile creation is open to professionals and the general public.
40 rugs and tapestries will be presented in the form of a labyrinth designed by scenographer Hervé Sauvage.
Independent artists as well as established brands from 12 different countries will reveal their current textile creations, combining various techniques, materials and textures.
Certain exhibiting artists were present to interact with visitors.
A book bringing together all works will be printed for the occasion.
Melina Finkelstein will exhibit two new felt rug designs under her eponymous solo brand, Melina Finkelstein Rug Co.Labs: Carmen and Girlfriend. Both designs are derivatives of original paintings by Finkelstein.
The Feltmaking Process
“The felt method that I have worked with since 2002 is based on the ancient tradition practiced by Central Asian nomadic tribes from Turkey to Iran since the Neolithic Age. Felted rugs were the first wool rugs ever made by humans. The process is technically simple and predates the loom by about two thousand years. The design is drawn on a ‘mother cloth’ that is spread across a large steel table. Historically, this work was done on the floor but we prefer using large tables. Many layers of wool are arranged on the cloth according to color. Another thin cloth is placed over the layers of wool. Hot soapy water is applied and the wool is rubbed gently at first until the wool shrinks enough to connect. Several techniques and tools are used to beat the wool and shape the pattern until it is flat and the felt is very tight. The final step is blocking and drying.”
Melina Finkelstein is an Oakland-based non-objective painter and rug designer who paints colorful, geometric patterns on fabric and wood, weaves tapestries out of old paintings and collaborates with a global community of artists and rug makers in Mexico and Nepal to make one-of-a-kind custom felt and flat weave rugs under her brand Melina Finkelstein Rug Co.Labs.
Selected Bio
2024 Renewal of the legacy Peace Industry (R) felt rug brand with an all-woman team in Kathmandu, Nepal trained by Finkelstein during a residency in April of 2024.
2022 Established the Melina Finkelstein Gallery located in Oakland, CA to showcase artwork by Finkelstein and artists who explore textile-based mediums.
2020 Established a partnership with master Oaxacan weaver, Alejandro Gonzalez to produce flatweave rugs designed by Finkelstein
2018 Invited to speak to The Friends of Islamic Art at The Metropolitan Museum of Art NY about the Peace Industry felt project in Iran.
2002- 2019 Co-founded and served as the lead designer and creative director of Peace Industry INC, a boutique felt rug company made in Iran and designed by Finkelstein. Peace Industry INC was shuttered after US/Iran trade sanctions which ended all trade with Iran. Noteworthy collaborators include: Heath Ceramics, Steelcase, Alison Damonte Design. While in operation Peace Industry opened three retail locations in the Bay Area, two stores in Stockholm, Sweden and production facilities in Iran and Turkey.
@melinafinkelstein.artist
@peaceindustryrugs
