Objet d’Art: Pursed Expression

Every month, Interview picks an artist- or designer-created object that straddles the line between aesthetics and function. Subdued tastes need not apply.

Though he is known for his large scale, photorealistic paintings, Nir Hod has periodically concoted other objects, most notably his mirrored coasters and iPhone cases etched with lines of cocaine. His evident interest in experimenting off the canvas made him seem like a promising match for Maria Brito, a designer and curator who, among other projects, has partnered with artists like Natalie Frank and Katherine Bernhardt to create a range of fresh, limited-edition pieces for her eponymous accessories line. “Between compelling aesthetics, art history, dark-glam, romance and the idea of being a rebel,” she says, “I thought Nir’s work would be perfect.”

Out this month is the result of their collaboration: A handbag collection featuring 10 designs by Hod. The patterns, a mix of nature imagery and abstractions, are the result of Brito and Hod going through Hod’s archives and culling a selection that fit their vision: “very rock and roll but with some underlying romance,” says Brito. They settled on each bag having the same, sturdy structure, in lambskin, which doubly provided an easy translation from artwork to material, and a sleek, practical purse. An interior mirror also resonates with Hod’s earlier work. “It’s speaking more or less in the same language,” says Hod. “I like translating art into different fields, whether music, film, or fashion. It’s about spectrum and range, which I always feel attracted to.”

NIR HOD X MARIA BRITO CAN BE PRE-ORDERED HERE, AND WILL BE AVAILABLE AT SELECT RETAILERS BEGINNING IN MAY 2016.

Objet d’Art runs every month. For more, click here.