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Studio

“For nearly fifteen years, I have translated my drawings, collages, and paintings into hand-knotted rugs woven in Nepal. In my newest body of work, I bring the process full circle by weaving the same yarns from my rugs, back into my artwork. As I bind the soft hand-spun fibres around the sharp edges of the machine-made glass it becomes a quiet, meditative act in repair - where self-reflection occurs, and a tactile connection develops between the past and the present. My practice connects me to a material language that has shaped my artistic expression, while paying tribute to the weavers I’ve been collaborating with for over a decade.” - Robyn Waffle


Studio Practice

Based in Toronto Canada, Robyn Waffle’s textile practice is dedicated to translating art and design into woven form. Working with artists, designers, art consultants and various organizations, Waffle’s studio produces hand-knotted rugs, tapestries, and textile installations in collaboration with master artisans in Nepal.

For nearly fifteen years, Waffle’s work has brought together material research, digital image-making, and traditional craft. The studio produces work that sits between functional design and sculpture. Projects often begin with sketches, digital drawings, and collages that grow from small abstract studies into large-scale works.

Through the ancient practice of rug-making, contemporary ideas are transformed into lasting material form. Waffle’s work becomes a woven archive - preserving imagery, aesthetics, and narratives through the enduring language of textile.

Artist Statement

Grounded in long-standing collaborations with master weavers in Nepal, Robyn Waffle creates textile-based works that move between sculpture, object, and atmosphere. Working with hand-spun fibres, vintage textiles, acrylic glass, and mirror, Waffle’s practice explores the relationship between the handmade and the manufactured.

Recurring moth motifs reference both the quiet erosion of textiles and the transformative alchemy of silk, reflecting cycles of loss, renewal, and repair. Each finished work holds space for both pain and possibility – inviting stillness, reflection, and the idea that healing doesn’t erase the past, but carries it forward with purpose.

Bringing traditional weaving techniques into conversation with contemporary production methods, Waffle’s practice explores memory, material, and transformation. Guided by her desire to honour the ancient craft of rug-making, Waffle pushes textile into new territory through multifaceted, cross-cultural works that honour the past, reflect the present, and spark hope for the future.

Materials & Making

Material is central to Waffle's practice. Working across both natural and industrial materials - each project explores the relationship between artwork, material, and process. Whether woven by hand or fabricated through contemporary methods, every work is guided by a commitment to craftsmanship, material integrity, and permanence. Waffle's approach to sustainability is rooted in longevity: creating thoughtful, enduring works designed to be lived with, collected, and preserved for generations.


SELECTED EXHIBITIONS

2026 • An Ode To Rugs / R:GALLERY, DesignTO Festival, Toronto

2025 • Where Wings Tangle / Artist Project, Toronto

2024 • Neutral Curves / R:GALLERY, Toronto

2020 • Outside Looking In / Artist Project, Toronto

2017 • Woven Space / Come Up To My Room, Toronto

2013 • Rug Stance / Colourfield Gallery, Toronto

 

SELECTED AWARDS

2016 • BEST MODERN DESIGN - The Carpet Design Awards - DOMOTEX (Hossein Rezvani entered one of Robyn Waffle’s original rug designs which won for Best Modern Design in 2016)

2013 • Herman Miller Juror's Choice Award - With Fugitive Glue - Rug Collection

 

SELECTED COLLABORATORS

SLASH / James Fitzgerald / Warner Brothers / Yabu Pushelberg / JAN KATH / YORK HERITAGE PROPERTIES / PI FINE ART / Robert J. Lang / Jeanne Beker / Frank Ockenfels 3 / Tiffany Pratt / Yvan Semenowycz / R:DESIGN

 

SELECTED PUBLICATIONS

(Miss Chatelaine 2013) Chatelaine Magazine / The Globe And Mail / House and Home / Cover / Azure / WIRED

 

 

Instagram: @ROBYN.WAFFLE • Email: robynwaffle@gmail.com • Phone: (+1) 647-524-0403