Here are a few of our favourite kitsch artworks and designs to inspire you to bring home a spot of bold, brash but tongue-in-cheek style.

Join The Dots

Ninety-two-year-old Yayoi Kusama is one of the world’s most celebrated living artists – and remarkably, she has voluntarily resided in a psychiatric hospital for 45 years. Best known for her “immersive infinity rooms”, she uses lots of borderline-kitsch pop-vegetal imagery, including pumpkins. Her work is mind-bending, witty and wise. yayoi-kusama.jp

Floral Fantasia

Wide-ranging in expression and commercially successful, Takashi Murakami’s work is frequently read as an ironic commentary on art itself. He has 2.3-million Instagram followers, and uses elements derived from anime, traditional Japanese painting and sci-fi to make his work. Invited to exhibit at the palace of Versailles in France (pictured opposite), he controversially filled its opulent halls with smiley plastic flowers and manga-style characters.

Diamonds Are Forever

One of a group of young British artists who took the art scene by storm in the 1990s, Damien Hirst has always worked with humour and parody. Artworks such as his 2007 piece For the Love of God (pictured above right) are kitsch in the word’s classic definition: “Art, objects or design considered to be in poor taste because of excessive garishness or sentimentality, but sometimes appreciated in an ironic or knowing way.”

Wall And All

The art of Vladimir Tretchikoff (1913-2006) was immensely popular during his lifetime – but also derided as vulgar and kitsch. Criticised for mass-producing prints of his works, he responded, “Why should my art only be available to the rich and famous? I want everyone to enjoy it.” Today his work adorns walls around the world.

Wag The Dog

Renowned for his deliberate use of “kitsch”, Jeff Koons is another contemporary artist who combines massive commercial success with critical appreciation. Koons’s instantly recognisable Balloon Dog sculptures are made from stainless steel with a transparent colour coating, and evoke the playful shapes made out of balloons at kids’ parties. The orange version seen here sold at Christie’s in 2013 for $58.4-million – a record price for a living sculptor.

Form And Function

French designer Philippe Starck’s witty take on Kartell’s Componibili storage unit was produced as part of a series of collaborations to mark the iconic piece’s 50th anniversary in 2017. It combines the classic cylinder shape and form of the Componibili with bases that mimic one of the ultimate pieces of middle-class kitsch: the garden gnome. Starck’s comment on his design? “We support good ideas.”

Animal Crackers

Inspired by a street vendor carrying stuffed toys, Brazilian design duo Humberto and Fernando Campana created their first Banquete chair in 2002. They stitched toys together to create the upholstery for an easy chair with a metal frame. The Banquete was an instant hit, and has since been made in multiple variations.

Big Daddy

Also regularly dismissed as a purveyor of “kitsch” during his lifetime, Andy Warhol (1928-1987) is now lauded the world over – and his work commands enormous sums at auction. This screen print of Mick Jagger was produced in 1975; Warhol also designed the famous sleeve for the Rolling Stones’ Sticky Fingers album. Fascinated by popular culture, money and celebrity, he now seems more like a visionary artist than a “vulgar” one.

Statement Pieces

“Subversive, ethical, ecological, political, humorous… This is how I see my duty as a designer,” says Philippe Starck. His Gun Collection of lamps, designed in 2005 for Flos, is based on the silhouettes of actual weapons, including a Beretta handgun and the M16 rifle. The provocative designs will always be a talking point: do they provide critical social commentary, or aesthetically glorify the very items they seek to deplore? You decide.

String Theory

Created in 1993, the iconic Vermelha chair was the Campana brothers’ first design. Using 500 metres of rope, the duo initially created each chair by hand, looping and coiling it around a basic frame to create the seat, armrests and back. Manufactured by Italian design company Edra from 1998, the Vermelha is in the permanent collections of many art and design institutions, including New York’s Museum of Modern Art and the Pompidou Centre in Paris.

Looking for more on local art? Take a look at these South African abstract artists.

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Aspire Art Auctions has teamed up with Greg Gamble and Philippe van der Merwe of interior architecture studio Tonic Design to host a fine design auction.

“As contemporary fine art from Africa is increasingly coveted by a growing local and international community, our intention is also to promote the finest contemporary design produced on this continent alongside signature pieces from international designers,” says Ruarc Peffers, Senior Art Specialist at Aspire Art Auctions.

“Putting good local design on a par with its international equivalents elevates South African products and reminds us that if we buy good, well-designed furniture, wherever it comes from, it can have and retain resale value,” adds Greg.

Cassina, Eero Aarnio, Kartell, Ib Kofod-Larsen, Christensen & Larsen and Børge Mogensen are some of the renowned international design studios that will feature as part of this collaborative auction.

Christensen & Larsen

Locally designed pieces include the Hlabisa Bench by Thabisa Mjo of Mash.T, in collaboration with Houtlander and Beauty Ngxongo, and the House Union Block ceramic and cork trays, created by Laurie Wiid of Wiid Design, together with Glorinah Khutso Mabaso of Renaissance Design, facilitated by Clout. There are also pieces by Joe Paine, Yaniv Chen of Master Studio, Tonic Design, Dokter and Misses, Gregor Jenkin Studio and Anatomy Design.

Thabisa Mjo (Mash.T Design Studio), Philip Houtlander and Stephen Wilson, and Beauty Ngxongo.

The lots are on view at Aspire Art Auctions’ Johannesburg gallery until 26 November 2020, by appointment. You can browse the digital catalogue here. Online bidding is open and the auction will close on 26 November at 7pm. For more information, visit aspireart.net.

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Living comfortably in a compact home is about maximising the space you have. A great way to accomplish this is with furniture items and storage pieces that do more than one job.

TRANSFORMER TIME

Trix, designed by Piero Lissoni for Kartell, is made up of three differently sized foam polyurethane cushions, which are connected by an elegant system of elastic bands that enable you to transform and adapt the sections to three different uses through easy rotation. Snap from an ottoman to a chaise to a comfortable bed for sleeping in no time. Plus, it all weighs in at just 13kg.

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South African design store True Design, which opened its doors back in 2014, recently revamped its Cape Town showroom.

Together with the launch of new pieces from international brands like Kartell, this season True Design will be unveiling the Beam Sofa by Patricia Urquiola for Cassina, as well as the new Moroso with Diesel section of the showroom.

Visitors to the revamped showroom can also expect to find the full range of contemporary designs the brand has become known for.

Over and above the classic range, “We have the Lady chair designed by Marco Zanuso, not known to many people, so it holds quite the surprise factor for visitors to the showroom,” says Managing Director Aldon McLeod. “Any of the iconic pieces by Le Corbusier will always be a staple attraction,” he adds.

The Cape Town showroom is located in the Hudson Building on the corner of Hudson & Strand Streets, De Waterkant.

For more information, visit truedesign.co.za.

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Italian architects and designers Roberto Palomba and Ludovica Serafini are known to South Africans for their collaborations with the likes of Kartell by Laufen, available here at Italtile. The couple’s holiday home in Puglia, Italy, is the epitome of a rustic Italian country house.

PalombaSerafini’s, Roberto and Ludovica’s holiday home near Lecce, Puglia, in south-eastern Italy, is in a romantic location on a peninsula between the Ionian and Adriatic seas.

They had not been searching for such a property, but when a friend showed them the building, which had stood abandoned for 30 years, they immediately saw its potential.

“We loved the space at first sight, and in a few minutes the project was born,” Roberto says, scrolling enthusiastically through images of the house on his phone. Constructed in the 1600s as an oil mill, the 400 m² building possessed all the characteristics that would seem to make it unappealing to the less forward- thinking, including fire-blackened tuff ceilings, sloping walls and a lack of windows.

But the Palombas didn’t see it that way. “It was really exciting upon first entering this house with its walls reaching over 6 m in height and its wide indoor spaces created by thick columns,” Roberto says. They found most of the construction materials needed for the renovation in the immediate area.

Thanks to the innate skills of local artisans, the whole project was completed in five months. “We renovated with minimal work,” Roberto says, adding that he and Ludovica tapped into their backgrounds in architecture – they met in Rome while studying the craft more than 20 years ago. “We didn’t add any new walls so as not to break up the existing spaces. We used local stone for the floors and whitewash for the walls.”

Their biggest challenge was figuring out a way to bring more natural light into the fortresslike structure, as “it was illuminated only by oil lamps”. The problem was solved by carving out a series of skylights and opening up the back of the building to allow the sun in. “We used natural materials like white lime and stone as the only decorations, which expresses our idea of conceptual simplicity and honesty,” Roberto says. “No matter what we design, our designs are always ‘free’ in the sense that we are curious and consistently challenge ourselves. If somebody wants to understand us, they have to live in our architecture.”

He notes that this personal project is one through which their greater interior design vision is perfectly exemplified. The result is a house that provides the busy duo with a place for much-needed “personal decompression… physical and mental,” Roberto says. “We knew exactly the result we wanted to achieve and it all happened in a very fluid way. It’s actually been a great honour to design something for ourselves.”

Looking for more local and international escapes? Take a look at this restored Italian villa which you could stay in rent-free for a year via Airbnb’s 1 euro house programme.

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Kartell’s iconic Componibili storage unit by Anna Castelli Ferrieri celebrates its 50th anniversary in style.

“I cannot remember a year at Salone del Mobile in Milan when there wasn’t a birthday celebration of an iconic design,” says VISI Deputy Editor Annemarie Meintjes, who attended this year’s fair in April. “But I can remember when Kartell was only available from office furniture suppliers in South Africa, and that’s where I bought my Componibili unit with my first salary cheque.”

Kartell’s award-wining modular storage unit features in permanent exhibitions at MOMA in New York and the Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris. In this one flexible, functional and practical piece, Anna Castelli Ferrieri revolutionised the design world with a unique approach to product engineering: modular furniture designed for assembly. Plastic was becoming the material of the future, and the Componibili captured the innovative spirit of Kartell.

“I’m not a researcher and I’m not a historian, but I know that Anna Castelli Ferrieri took ‘plastic’ from being a dismissive description into a new field of desirable components in our lives. Isn’t this the DNA of Kartell?” said industrial designer, artist and architect Ron Arad. He was one of the designers involved in signature pieces created to celebrate the Componibili’s 50th anniversary.

These 15 personal tributes were exhibited at Kartell’s flagship store in Via Turati, Milan, to coincide with Salone del Mobile 2017, before being displayed at the ICFF furniture fair in New York.

Here’s to the next 50!

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This exhibit will feature leading international brands Cassina, Kartell, Flos and Moroso. Here, he tells us more about what we can expect.

What will you be doing at Design Joburg?
We will be designing a “beach cabin” style space, or at least our take on a beach cabin, with Moroso, Flos, Cassina and Kartell.

Why are you a good fit with these brands?
I am personally a huge fan of these brands and the elevated craftsmanship they stand for. We recently completed a project in Rosebank, a club called MESH (which VISI featured here), where we were privileged to customise iconic pieces from Cassina and Moroso. We’ve formed a good relationship with these brands.

What can visitors expect from the stand you are designing?
Our intention is to create a slick and serene breath-of-fresh-air space in which visitors can appreciate the design details and craftsmanship of Cassina, Kartell, Moroso and Flos pieces up close.

What do you think sets Africa apart from the rest of the world with regards to design?
Growth. Africa is rapidly growing and keeping up with this growth is both exciting and challenging. This creates demand and room for the development of new ideas. Africa hasn’t reached its full potential just yet, so the possibilities are endless. While some more established parts of the globe seem to have reached a point of stagnation, the African continent is a trailblazer in original design.

Any scoops on upcoming projects for Studio A?
We have some great high-end residential projects coming up this year in Johannesburg and in Normandy in France. We are also busy with two restaurants in Miami, Florida and wrapping up a fast-casual-food concept in Dubai. In Johannesburg, we are working on a bar called Milk and Honey that is going to be a departure from our masculine aesthetic.

What trend/s are you all over for 2017? 
Detail. There is luxury in the detail of design. This is a trend I am sure we’ll be seeing more and more of. The focus is on creating a design experience and carrying this through into small, usually indistinct, or often overlooked, details.

Which international designer would you like to spend a whole day with and what would you do with them? 
Masamichi Katayama of Wonderwall Design in Japan. I would spend a day in Tokyo at his office and try to figure out what keeps him pushing ahead of the rest of the design world.

JVR Architects and Generation Store will also come together to create a Collaborative Roomset at Design Joburg – you can read more about it here. Thabisa Mjo and Tempur are also collaborating. The show runs from 12 to 14 May 2017. Tickets are priced between R80 and R110 and are available here.

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From a Kulapat Yantrasast-designed pavilion and Kartell’s new furniture range for kids to an enchanting bird light and striking paper clay sculptures, these are the top VISI picks of the week series – week 127.

1. Kulapat Yantrasast‘s Prefab Pavilion

“The Eros Senses Pavilion for Revolution reminds me of something from a fantasy film,” says content producer Michaela Stehr, about the multipurpose geometric structure designed by the famed Thai architect.

Video credit: Revolution Precrafted Properties on Vimeo

2. New Le Creuset Pizza Tray

“I absolutely love making my own pizzas at home,” says online editor Lindi Brownell Meiring. “So, it makes me very happy to learn that Le Creuset has just launched a brand new Toughened Non-Stick Pizza Tray. Yes!” Le Creuset also unveils New Must-Have Colourway for Modern Kitchens.

Image credit: lecreuset.co.za

3. Kartell Children’s Furniture

“I’m obsessed with this new range of furniture for kids,” says special projects manager Cecilia du Plessis. “Stylish and durable – it’s a winning combination!”

Nendo for Kartell

Piero Lissoni for Kartell

Image credit: wallpaper.com

4. The Perch Light by Umut Yamac

Deputy editor Annemarie Meintjes can’t get enough of the Perch Light, launched in conjunction with Moooi at this year’s Salone del Mobile in Milan.

Image credit: umutyamac.com Video credit: Umut Yamac on Vimeo

5. Sledgehammer Studio’s Foulbrood Video

As foulbrood is a disease that is wiping out colonies of bees, editor-in-chief Sumien Brink thinks there is a clever video about raising awareness about where our food comes from. The video was on display at the #ROOTS exhibition at UPSTAIRS by [spasie] on Bree Street in Cape Town.

Find more artlicles like VISI picks of the week series – week 127 here.

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Meet Uncle Jack, a groundbreaker in the Kartell Aunts and Uncles collection designed by Philippe Starck.

Kartell and Philippe Starck have pushed the envelope with the design of Uncle Jack. This minimalist sofa, 190 cm long and weighing in at 30 kg, is the largest piece of furniture ever made by injecting polycarbonate into a single mould – it represents a revolution in injection-moulding technology. The transparent sofa is available in two shades, crystal and smoke.

Another member of the family is Uncle Jim, an armchair that complements the sofa.

Prices start at R22 266.

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1. MoodForWood Rolling Pin

Features editor Tracy Greenwood is cat crazy (with nine currently living at her home). We thought this rolling pin would go down a treat in her feline-obsessed household.

Image credit: etsy.com

2. Roots by Miguel Vallinas

“I love this new series by photographer Miguel Vallinas called Roots, which pairs dressed figures with seasonal plants and flowers as their heads. So simple, yet so clever and fun,” says special projects manager Cecilia du Plessis.

Image credit: miguelvallinas.com

3. Kartell Sparkle Stool by Tokujin Yoshioka 

Editor-at-large Malibongwe Tyilo loves the sophisticated cut of the Kartell Sparkle Stool.

Image credit: kartell.com

4. The Misoka Toothbrush

“Thanks to nano-sized ions, you don’t need to use toothpaste to clean your teeth with this clever toothbrush,” says deputy editor Annemarie Meintjes. “The design is sleek too!”

Image credit: designboom.com

5. Resident Mesh Space Light

“These LED lights were launched at New York Design Week 2015,” says managing editor Lise Avis. “They’re both pretty and functional.”

Image credit: resident.co.nz

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