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Artist Bradley Theodore Collaborates with Artemest on BLOW, Murano Glass Pieces

Artist Bradley Theodore Collaborates with Artemest on BLOW, Murano Glass Pieces
Bradley Theodore. Courtesy of Artemest.

For Milan Design Week, Artemest collaborated with Caribbean-born artist Bradley Theodore on a collection of Murano glass pieces. The limited-edition is on display and available exclusively on Artemest as of June 6, 2022.  

June 7-12—Salone del Mobile and Milan Design Week are taking place next month after being postponed from their traditional showing in April. During last year’s September edition, Artemest commissioned Milanese architects Ciarmoli Queda Studio to head the artistic direction of its water-themed exhibition entitled AQVA which presented never-seen-before artworks and design pieces inspired by the theme. 

READ our article “Milan Design Week: AQVA Exhibition by Artemest Reinterprets the Hidden Waters of Milan”.

This year, they’ve collaborated with Caribbean-born artist Bradley Theodore on a limited edition collection in which street art meets luxury Italian craftsmanship. The pieces will be on display in an immersive exhibition in a way that is meant to explore the gap between tradition and creative disruption, including a live art performance and a screening of an exclusive short film shot in Murano.

PRESS PREVIEW: June 6th, 12pm – 6pm 

PUBLIC OPENING: June 7th – 10th, 11am – 8pm 

ADDRESS:  Brera Design District – Piazza San Marco, Giardino Roberto Sanesi – 20121 Milan 

Courtesy of Artemest.

BLOW is the result of the teamwork between Bradley Theodore and leading Murano glassblowers, working together to bring a pop-art approach to a centenary tradition. It includes custom-made Murano glass mirrors, chandeliers and home decor. The unique combination of Theodore’s volcanic creativity and the Murano makers’ expertise gives life to an exuberant collection, reinterpreted through the artist’s visual vocabulary and color palette, as described by the press team.

“In a time when everything boasts the signet of design – from a toothbrush to a work of art – Artemest cast American artist Bradley Theodore in the hands of Murano artisans as author and provocateur. The result is a curated collection that witnesses the idea that “clash” and “culture” are no longer at odds. In these pieces, the viewer becomes part of the viewing experience through Bradley’s kaleidoscopic lens,” Ippolita Rostagno, Artemest’s co-founder and Creative Director, said in a press release. 

In Murano, the artist worked with the nine makers in their respective studios where, together, they created each piece of the limited edition collection. The craftsmen include Covi e Puccioni, Fornace Mian, Fratelli Tosi, Luci Italia, Multiforme, Ongaro & Fuga, Specchi Veneziani, Venice Factory and Vetralia. A cameraman followed them during the experience to document every rise and fall of the creative process. 

Courtesy of Artemest.

Inspired by his childhood memories in Turks and Caicos, Theodore mixed familiar shapes such as corals, seashells and pineapples with classic Venetian symbols such as Rezzonico chandeliers, mouth-blown mirrors and souvenirs de Venise. Through the gaze of a street artist, the Muranese ‘fornace’ becomes the meeting point of two clashing yet complementary points of view, leading to unexpected creations of extraordinary impact: from a fully hand-engraved mirror in the shape of a lobster, to a 2.5-meter-tall pineapple mirror, to a blown-glass homage to the 17th-century memento mori skulls.

“It was a great experience to go behind the scenes with the glassmakers and draw inspiration from the history of Venice. The essence of art lies in the freedom of expression and creative exchange, and I am honored to have worked with the best in their field to create something new and exciting,” Bradley Theodore said in a press release.

Theodore’s journey is told in cinematic fashion in a short film capturing the essence of this creative dialogue.  Narrated through a camera lens, Bradley Theodore takes over the streets of Murano, venturing into the hidden ‘calli’ and bringing fresh creative inspiration to the artisans’ studios, who are eager to rise to the challenge.

The short film will be screened at the venue, in an intimate, cinema-like setting giving full space to the vision behind this collaboration. Stepping into a fully dark space, guests will be transported into a sensory dimension to discover the art of glassmaking, as seen by Bradley Theodore. Playing with contrasts of light and darkness, each piece comes alive before the visitors’ eyes, revealing a hidden world of exceptional craftsmanship. 

Courtesy of Artemest.

About Artemest

Artemest, the leading online marketplace for handmade luxury products made in Italy, was founded in 2015 by jewelry designer Ippolita Rostagno and manager Marco Credendino. Established to celebrate Italian craftsmanship, Artemest offers the unique opportunity to shop contemporary design in the categories of furniture, home décor, lighting and lifestyle. The selection of over 60,000 products is handmade by 1,300+ of the most representative Italian artisans and designers. Today, Artemest is based in Italy (Milan) and the United States (New York). The company ships to more than 70 countries around the world and has become the leading marketplace for the export of luxury made in Italy to North America and APAC. 

About Bradley Theodore

Based between Miami Beach and New York City, Bradley Theodore is a multi-disciplinary artist whose iconoclastic approach to art can be found internationally, from 10-foot murals on the streets of New York, Tokyo, and Milan, to sold-out solo exhibitions in London. With roots in graphic design, Theodore began his artistic career adorning the streets of New York City with vibrant, chromatic murals of skeleton crews depicting the contemporary pop culture and fashion “royalty.” The artist has become a staple in the art and fashion scene across the globe. 

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