BRIGHT POSTERS, COMICS AND A PALACE FURNISHED WITH A COLORED SPRAY OF THE SPRAY CARTRIDGE - ALL THESE ARE ATTRIBUTES OF STREET ART, WHICH, CONQUERING THE STREETS OF BIG CITIES, STARTED TO HOST THE INTERIOR. Text: Natalia Remmer
It all began in 1963, when New York pop art artist Robert Rauschenberg pulled a blanket over a stretcher, attached a pillow to it and splattered the impromptu canvas with paints. Since then, masters of street and pop genres have begun to fill all possible space with their masterpieces, and, of course, having painted the walls of factories and the fences of industrial zones, they moved into the interior.
Pop art in the interiors is distinguished by bright colors, geometric shapes and original designs. Among the latter are sofa lips, a hanger-cactus, a bean bag chair and many more different interior "bells and whistles". Style business cards are timeless images of Marilyn Monroe, Mao Zedong, Coke cans, as well as comic book characters. "The colorful world helps to hide from busy and gray reality. This is a kind of color therapy for residents of soulless megacities, and for someone an opportunity to return to the childhood of the 1970s," says Elena Swain, art expert and co-owner of Street Art Gallery in Dubai
Another traditional principle of pop art is the use of various junk materials: paper, cardboard, plastic. The authors work with them on the principle of "I paint with a bright color everything that came to hand." As a result, old tables and nightstands get the opportunity to start a new and bright life.
In recent years, a new wave of pop art has raised a galaxy of artists practicing a mix of colors and shapes. By the way, many of them chose Dubai as the space for creativity, which still resembles a blank sheet for the rest of the art world. For example, designer Noel Duigan, based in Dubai, chose the genre of combining styles - baroque and pop art. Its original chairs not only “receive”, but also entertain guests. “I wanted to fill the market niches with something truly outstanding. Armchairs and sofas with carved backs and a bright, juicy design really became something different from the norm. Variations - from gold and catchy fuchsia to subtle white and black halftones - allow my ideas to enter a wide market and meet a buyer there, "says Noel Duigan.
According to Elena Swain, original art in the interior looks much more profitable than classic reproductions that have become commonplace. "Recently, furniture in the style of pop art has been in high demand among representatives of different cultures and ages - those who want to discover bright and interesting trends," says the gallery owner.
Another hero of the local pop art scene, creating chairs and more, is designer Khalid Sharan with his furniture studio ByKal. Its genre is “strong” images and unexpected textures that cannot leave you indifferent. “Furniture is something even more personal than fashion. Clothes can be worn once and then hidden somewhere in the bowels of the dressing room, furniture can’t. What fills the space around you is a true reflection of your personality,” the designer summarizes .
