Home Is Where the Art… Should be

I’m a down to business, cut through the clutter, don’t beat around the bush type of gal. So when it comes to the home and “collecting” I agree with Mies (van der Rohe, that is) that ‘Less is More’.

That is unless we’re talking art.

Collecting art is not an elitist activity, nor is it frivolous and petty. The need to beautify our sacred spaces is innate, going back to cave drawings and chinoiserie.

The well-known Pollacks and Warhols, Rembrandts and Renoirs are lovely to look at, but surrounding ourselves with expensive art isn’t the only option.

Many contemporary artists work with found objects and recycled and local materials. They’re conscious of inks and waste and number of reproductions. And some of them are actually good.

Although art is a very personal thing and your tastes will differ from mine, I’ve selected a few of my favorites for your perusal. Go ahead – discover, explore, find inspiration and start your own collection.

Italian artist Fabio Zanino (image above) takes old road signs, breaks them apart and reconstructs them into visually interesting, graphically pleasing. His work is rough around the edges with a twist of hip and cool. (via Junkculture).

Another favorite, but expressing a completely different attitude is Alyson Fox (image above). She “makes things from paper, fabric, books, ceramics, thread, wallpaper, office supplies, photographs, old tattered things, new polished things, furniture, and cement.” (via Little Paper Planes). Lovely, petite, precious, precise and especially emotionally charged.

Marlo Pascual (top image and images above) is another talent who works with existing items. But she takes the typical and adds the odd or random – a rock, pushpin, plant or candle. She rolls on the side of strange and probably isn’t for everyone, but you must admit she’s clever, witty and resourceful. Her work just does something to me. (via The Jealous Curator).

Last, but hardly least, is South Korean designer Soojin Kang (image above). Gotta love a girl who wears her conscience on her creative sleeve. Here she expresses the inspiration behind her Patched Chair:

I believe that the lack of consciousness with which people easily throw their objects away will increase in the future even more. It is important now therefore that we need to consider our basic needs and what we already possess, and to use these materials wisely and beautifully. (via Dezeen).