Known for his exuberant and extravagant digital designs, artist Andrés Reisinger is used to creating without limits. Now, through a new collaboration with Tylko, his vision is getting to people where they live
What happens when you cross a cutting-edge digital artist with a storage unit? You find yourself with a customisable piece of useful, collectible art in ‘Reisinger Pink’. The soft, fairy-tale hue is the signature colour of Andrés Reisinger, who is best known for dreamy, pastel-coloured virtual furniture that sells in NFT online auctions for tens of thousands of dollars.
The pink storage unit is the first from a collaborative new collection called Unlimited Edition, launched by Polish furniture brand Tylko. Its co-founder, Jacek Majewski, explains the thinking behind the first artist collaboration in the series: “The shelving in our homes is design that we look at every single day, so why not combine the two concepts and create everyday, usable living art?”
The unit has almost endless possibilities for personalisation, he adds, allowing customers to specify the number, size and layout of the rows, doors and drawers. Of every 200,000 orders configured, cut and dispatched, 94 per cent will be completely unique. “We’re really giving our customers the tools to collaborate with Reisinger himself and create their own designs using his palette”, says Majewski. In recent years, the Argentina-born, Spain-based artist rose to prominence on Instagram for his renderings of surreal furniture pieces, which were a hit in online auctions.
According to Reisinger, whose other titles include director, product and interior designer, and 3D graphic designer, he and Tylko share a fascination with “encounters between the physical and digital realms. We came together to explore these crucial themes with a tangible application, specifically taking an everyday object and giving it a deeper meaning.” His aim was to create “an accessible work of art out of this object, making it a symbol of expressive freedom”.
As for the colour – that was a given. Reisinger Pink has always been the defining tone of his artworks, and for him, it is itself an artwork. “For me, pink is a symbol of a philosophical and sociological exploration of human experiences,” he says. “In Reisinger Pink, the shelving becomes warmer; it becomes a human companion as well as a touch of extravagance, a reminder that creativity and freedom of expression is key.”
This isn’t the artist’s first joint effort: he’s conducted experimental and commercial collaborations with designers such as Patricia Urquiola, Cassina, Studio Proba, Space10 and Ikea; and with big brands like Apple, Microsoft, Nike, Samsung, Uniqlo and Bloomberg.
Nor is this the first time that Reisinger has operated in the physical world. His Hortensia chair debuted as a digital render in 2018 and became part of the first generation of NFT designs. Product designer Júlia Esqué subsequently worked on a physical version of Hortensia for Dutch design brand Moooi. Reisinger is clearly comfortable in operating in both spheres and suggests that one can inform the other.
He believes that the most efficient and enriching way to proceed with creations, at least his own, is not to think of the physical and digital realms as separate, but as complementary. The approach remains the same, though the execution is different as they both feature their own specifics. “From the digital, we can learn to push the boundaries of what we believe is achievable in the physical world.”
“I bring that knowledge and that challenge when designing the tangible. From the tangible, we learn not only how to use, but how to perceive through our senses: and that physical awareness helps me bring to life digital works that can speak to humans.”
While Majewski won’t reveal which other young artists are lined up for Unlimited Edition, or which Tylko pieces they will tackle next, he hopes the new series “will eventually change the landscape for how artists work with design brands. It offers a secondary revenue stream for artists and enables customers to live surrounded by collectible art they designed themselves.”
Ultimately, through the medium of shelving, Majewski’s aim is to “build a bridge between our art-loving customer base and talented young artists”.
Images by Veskrna.cz Nochinochi
This story was originally featured in OnOffice 165, Winter 2023. Discover similar stories by subscribing to our weekly newsletter here
