To be honest, Paul Insect and Christmas baubles aren’t words we ever thought we’d be putting together but, on Thursday 17th November at 14.00hr via avantarte.com, the street art legend will be releasing a limited edition box set of 10 hand blown glass Christmas tree baubles.
Now obviously, these aren’t just any old baubles and at £448 a set they shouldn’t be either!
As the description on the website explains:
Ten hand-blown glass ornaments fulfil an idea in the works for over a decade.
Christmas baubles hold specific appeal for Paul Insect. Eclectic objects, each with their own story – collected over time, remembered every December and then forgotten for another year come January.
Beginning as a series of sketches in the artist’s studio, Insect has worked closely with a traditional glass manufacturer in Poland to perfect each design. The ornaments are blown, painted and finished by hand – no two the same.
The designs themselves reveal the artist’s sceptical take on the commercialisation of Christmas. Clichés are subverted: Santa becomes a skeleton while otherwise-cosy flames envelop a gingerbread house and riot van. Elsewhere, they are ignored entirely in favour of a fly landing on a mouldy cupcake, or a deliriously smiling sun. Two pairs of eyes and a red-lipped mouth draw connections with Insect’s use of puppetry throughout his practice to bring inanimate objects to life, with disconcerting results.
If, like us, you prefer to have something a bit more unique and edgy hanging from your tree then these will be right up your street. We did enjoy the slight irony of the statement ‘the artist’s sceptical take on the commercialisation of Christmas’ when producing a Christmas product for sale but they’re still pretty cool nonetheless.
Each bauble is signed by the artist and the boxes come with a certificate of authenticity. You can also register your interest before they go live to receive a notification of when they’re available.
If you fancy grabbing yourself a box, you can do so by visiting avantarte.com/products/christmas-tree-baubles
