Fusing the worlds of art and design – is the result clash or chemistry? Italian artist Thomas Diego Armonia and Vastuhome Furniture combined creative forces to roll out a new furniture and accessories line featuring the design motifs of the eminent artist. Vastuhome’s Pakubuwono showroom opened tothe public from 24^th-31^st March for the exhibition,entitled ‘Eight Wonder of the World, The Woman’. Armonia’s paintings are of renowned female figureheads in history such as Marie Antoinette, the last queen of France, and Lucrezia Borgia, the illegitimate daughter of Pope Rodrigo Borgia. The exaggeratedly large, mirror-like eyes of the artist’s subjects is his attempt to magnify the beauty and strength of the women; while the use of veils and images of men performing violent acts illustrates the oppressive forces, violence and sin that formed part of their reality.
The idea of combining art and interior design was spawned when Vastuhome met Armonia at one of his exhibitions in Singapore. The exhibition in Jakarta readily attested to the compatibility of Armonia’s artwith Vastuhome’s designs; Armonia’s paintings juxtaposed seamlessly withVastuhome’s interiors. The paintings gave the ‘rooms’ atmosphere, while the furniture designs made the features of the painting pop. Armonia’s paintings have been incorporated onto Vastuhome’s rugs, lampshades, and upholstery. These ‘functional’ objects being injected with artistic value shows the world that art is a feature of everyday life and that fusing the worlds of art and design results in…chemistry – not clash.