Eddie Martinez Skate Decks on sale at ExhibitionA.com at 8am, January 27th, or for pre-order by emailing info@exhibitiona.com
Not all art needs to exist behind a red rope and “do not touch” sign. In fact, some artists are going beyond the hands off museum rules and creating nearly limited edition art objects that are actually functional. "Producing functional art objects allows us to work more collaboratively with the artists,” explains Olivia Smith, director of Exhibition A, an online retailer of limited edition contemporary art prints and recently, some exceptional art objects by well known artists such as Katherine Bernhardt, Rob Pruitt and Bjarne Melgaard.
“We help artists realize projects they may have not had the resources to complete themselves,” explains Smith, who worked closely with painter Eddie Martinez to produce Exhibition A’s newest art object, a collection of skateboard decks silkscreened with the artist’s signature vibrant, abstract paintings. An edition of 100 boards were made in collaboration with Brooklyn skateboard company, Make, and go on sale January 27th in conjunction with Martinez’s upcoming solo show at Mitchell-Innes & Nash gallery opening January 30th.
A set of three decks, each with a different painting, run for $350 on the website–a pretty good deal for three skateboards, a steal for a limited edition art object by an established contemporary painter. “Offering our customers unique and affordable editions that are relevant within the artist's current body of work means providing access to real contemporary art,” says Smith, who, with a select number of other online retailers, is pushing the art market in a new direction. “These are things people can truly live with and enjoy."
Check out some other art objects, from Exhibition A and beyond, that are giving art an opportunity to be useful.
Bjarne Melgaard Cock Monster Lamps from Exhibition A
Crude but delightful, these one of a kind, hand-drawn egg lamps from the provocative Norwegian artist made their debut at a pop-up during Art Basel Miami 2015, and could live in your home for $1,500 a piece.
Katherine Bernhardt Fruit Salad Bean Bag Chair from Exhibition A
Inspired by the tropics and colorful fruits seen in her recent show at Venus Over Manhattan, Bernhardt created a canvas bean bag chair that begs hours of lounging at $500 a bag.
Brian Belott Stone Calculators from Exhibition A
Function may not be the main purpose of Belott’s colorful collection of Stone Age calculators, but who even uses calculators anymore anyway? $1,500 a pop.
Artist Made Yoga Mats from Grey Area
Yoga mats by John Kessler and Daniel Arsham
Finally giving us something to look at in downward dog, Grey Area collaborated with a collection of artists such as @EarlBoykins (a.k.a., Andrew Kuo), John Kessler, and Daniel Arsham to make some pretty chill yoga mats for $80.
Rolling Papers from Tauba Auerbach's Diagonal Press
Auerbach takes her geometric aesthetic into the realm of smoking paraphernalia with the most designy rolling paper/filter combo pack, only $5.
Artist Made Pins from Pin Trill
Pintrill artist collaborations with Francine Dressler and Baron von Fancy
We all know pins are in, and there’s no better way to wear your art on your sleeve, hat or lapel than with all the awesome enamel pin collaborations coming from online retailers like Pin Trill, Pin Lord, and Prize Pins.
What art objects would you like to see next? Let us know @CreatorsProject or in the comments below!
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