Humble enamelware is making a comeback of late into the heart of our homes. Dating from the early twentieth-century, enamelware’s smooth, clean lines - created by fusing porcelain onto steel - has endured both as a functional product as well as a design classic for nearly a century. From traditional kitchen shops and designer home stores to contemporary pop-ups and antique markets, there is a revived hunger from both chefs and hipsters alike for the clanging of enamelware in their kitchens.
Whether brand new or vintage, enamelware’s prone chips and dents make it that much more loveable – not so easily said for its ceramic or plastic counterparts; emanating a wholesome quality of traditional cooking – think delicious roasts or bubbling crumbles - with a dash of unbreakable invincibility. A chip remember only adds to that much sought after character. I myself love the stuff and I’ve enjoyed slowly collecting a service of my own on my travels over the years with conventional white and blue designs from Britain to more colourful styles manufactured on the Continent. On a recent trip to Serbia, known for its enamelware production, I returned laden with bowls and pots in all shapes and sizes to add to my growing collection of utilitarian chic.
The artists’ magazine TOILET PAPER - conceived in 2010 by Italian contemporary artist Maurizio Cattelan and photographer Pierpaolo Ferrari - has launched a collection of enamel tableware with the contemporary Italian brand Seletti, which I was delighted to discover on a recent visit to Opening Ceremony's London flagship.
Under the art direction of Micol Talso, TOILET PAPER magazine has earned cult status for its distinctive photography-based publication. Every issue takes on a single theme that informs highly conceptual creations, resulting in surreal, saturated and seductive cover-to-cover visuals. As well as its seasonal issues, TOILET PAPER has worked closely with the worlds of art, fashion and design: previous commissions have included exhibitions at Palais de Tokyo in Paris and an art billboard for New York’s High Line Art project; it regularly collaborates with luxury fashion brand KENZO as well as international periodicals such as Vice, The New Yorker and Wallpaper* Magazine.
For the Seletti Wears TOILET PAPER collection, a series of kitsch imagery from TOILET PAPER magazine's visual dictionary are transferred onto the surfaces of enamel plates and mugs in a colourway of retro hues of white, green and blue creams with black edging. As ambiguous as the magazine, the graphic collection is a zany juxtaposition between product and art form with graphics ranging from a prancing horse and a plunger to a bar of soap with bite marks and a set of female fingers. TOILET PAPER’s iconic language continues with the line-up of a vertical knife, a bloodied heart and a horseshoe to affectionately read ‘I love you’. The service undoubtedly makes for an unforgettable table setting and would be best mismatched to create idiosyncratic dialogues between diners.
Be enamoured with the full enamelware collection Seletti Wears TOILET PAPER now available at Opening Ceremony worldwide.
Visit Seletti for further details of the collection including vinyl tablecloth designs and explore the world of TOILET PAPER at toiletpapermagazine.org
Images courtesy of TOILET PAPER magazine
Visit Seletti for further details of the collection including vinyl tablecloth designs and explore the world of TOILET PAPER at toiletpapermagazine.org
More art, culture & lifestyle updates @JMVELARDI
Images courtesy of TOILET PAPER magazine
