toland grinnell

toland grinnell. his signature luxury trunks, in the spirit of louis vuitton, fold out into adult furniture fantasies, all hand crafted by the artist

toland grinnel
true luxury
galleria cardi & co, milan, italy
february 13 - march 30, 2002
http://www.galleriacardi.com

in collaboration with
galleria gian enzo sperone, new york
http://www.speronewestwater.com

true luxury was conceived by new york
artist toland grinnel, whose obsessively
elaborate sculptures confront the nature
of desire and the power of excess.
his signature luxury trunks, in the spirit of
louis vuitton, fold out into intricate adult
furniture fantasies, all hand crafted by
the artist.

the centerpiece of the show is pied-a-terre,
an installation of more than 30 matching trunks,
each of which performs an essential household
role.
with a silken tent, fully operational pneumatic
shower, wood - burning fireplace and dog spa,
grinnel has created a theoretically mobile
apartment for two - a camping set fit for the
multi-millionaire who has no desire to ever sleep
outdoors.
sumptous, sophisticated and fun, this exhibition
marks the european solo debut of this young
american artist.

questions

db: 'did you ever think you’d be an architect?'

toland: 'no, I really grew up with people who
victimize architects.
it’s only recently that I’ve considered that my
work might parlay itself into architecture.'

db: 'true luxury ?'
toland: 'my art dealer said, make something big
and don’t worry about what it costs.
the title of the piece is pied-a-terre.
I wanted to create an apartment that could be moved.
the icebox works, the stove runs, the shower runs,
you can use the toilet. no one will ever use this
camping set, but it all functions...
it’s interesting to look back a little further at
the tradition of fantastic transportable luxuries.
by the late 1400s, there was already a lot of
travel around europe by merchants and aristocrats.
so if it took three weeks to get from florence to
paris, you really needed to bring your bathtub
and bedding because there was no alternative.'

db: ' we are curious about your logo.
it really places you in the world of louis vuitton and gucci.
are you saying that the work mimics the way gucci markets
itself? or is it also about the contemporary artists as
a modern brand?'

toland: 'obviously many brands have made great use
of their logo
– the logo is just an integral part of doing business.
the logo suggests that these pieces are part of a
manufacturing process.
I’m not taking a sharpie magic marker and signing the
edge of a box. this is a gold-plated, cast brass logo.'

---
toland grinnell biography
---
born in brooklyn, ny, 1969
lives in new york.
---
education
1994 B.A., school of visual arts, new york
1993 centro lorenzo de medici, llorence, italy
---
one person exhibition
2000 'trunk show,' visionaire, new york
1998 'solid,' basilico fine arts, new york
1996 'gateway to eternity,' basilico fine arts
at the gramercy international art fair, new york
1995 'booty,' basilico fine arts, new york
---
group exhibition
2000 'american bricolage,'sperone westwater, new york
'hand-made in the USA,' sprovieri, london
''da warhol al 2000' - gian enzo sperone, turin
'greater new york,' P.S. 1 museum institute for contemporary
art, new york
'toys,' kagan martos gallery, new york

'kiss my mother fucking middle finger', 2001

tent of the 'pied-a-terre', 2001

wood burning fireplace

shower

washing basin

dog's spa

mineral water reserve

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