Kat takes me downstairs to her studio where she is hard at work creating her Rugs series. These hand-made collages hang upright on her studio wall being held together by pins and hot glue. It’s more delicate than I had imagined, re-affirming the sense that these works of art are ephemeral and representative of a moment in time.
In the past, horror vacui, or the fear of emptiness, was often employed in art and was considered sacred and highly regarded. Today, minimalism represents refinement and luxury while maximalism is unrefined and cheap. Ryals’ Rugs series highlights the casino floor, the detrital glory of belongings lost, and gambling paraphernalia hidden. The selection of collage materials is informed by the classic iconography of Las Vegas, such as spas, pools, steakhouses, buffets, hotel lobbies, casino floors, and wedding chapels. Ryals incorporates poker chips, playing cards, bra straps, peacock feathers and much more into the shape of a seventeenth century Savonnerie French rug pattern. The resulting image is photographed with a high-resolution camera and printed mechanically onto a velvet rug. What many would consider trash, is transformed to create the illusion of luxury. The rugs reference what is, in today’s fast fashion world, considered unattainable, the opulence of a hand-crafted, hand-woven textile wall hanging or rug.
As I’m looking at the collage she has mounted to the wall, Kat turns to ask: Have you seen the movie Showgirls?”
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