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feature collaboration
art & function
Artists Christian Topil & Tonatiuh Otero team up for a thoughtful collaboration that explores ways to incorporate art surreptitiously into our daily routine, and they’re calling it “re-art.”
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To them, art can be more than beautifuls paintings hanging on walls to remain clean and safe. “Art is expression, and it exists everywhere,” they explain “if we didn’t allow art off the walls we wouldn’t have music, dance, or interesting clothes & cool cars. Using art in various modes can even solve problems and make our lives better and happier. Art should be expressed, exchanged, and appreciated everywhere & by everyone.”
With re-art they redefine the purpose of art and reinvent the functionality of every-day essential items to serve as usable objets d’art. They explain, “we are exploring recycling & repurposing. There are many great ideas in the world, and functionality represents many things to different people, we are finding ways to reinterpret and renew these ideas in ways that are functional and captivating.”
We may all agree to keep our stretched canvas paintings on our walls, undoubtedly, some of us might want a chair or another object to be painted by an artist. These 2 creatives agree and thus began repurposing art. They have a lot to say about the inaugural piece they created together to launch their collaboration.
They explain, “a briefcase can arguably be the most iconic representative of work and making a living. It can also portray preparedness and professionalism. It’s a perfect platform to play on contradictions and contrasts, force together things that don’t belong together and make a statement. We think it’s an exciting thought and the outcome is not only striking but also functional. A briefcase that is also an objet d’art speaks volumes of the person wearing it. It might portray them as confident, discerning, precise, free, fearless, independent, daring, receptive, adventurous, should we keep going? Hahaha”
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They drove this premise further and experimented with furniture, producing some exciting results. Staying consistent with the traditional painted canvas, they reupholstered a foam chair, a side table, and a puffy ottoman with actual painters canvas and created three-dimensional and sculptural canvases that are as unexpected as they are captivating.
"Art should be enjoyed in as many ways as possible" they explain. "We find it joyous to interact with these pieces, touching them, sitting on them, viewing their different angles, it's truly mesmerizing."
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