The stage where cooking takes place, i.e. the kitchen, can be picturesque, and its often ignored, albeit most useful item—the bin—equally deserves our love and attention. Strengthening these sentiments arrives the collaboration between graffiti artist André Savaria and the Danish brand Vipp where the quirky nature of street art meets the refinement and ergonomic precision of product design.
Born in Sweden and residing in France, André Savaria is not your ordinary graffiti artist; in a stark contrast to the underground aesthetic he represents an utopian view highlighting the message of love. His artistry and view is embodied by his alter-ego “Mr. A”, a cheerful, top-hatted stick figure, with a cross for one eye, and a circle for another. First from the street art community, André uses figurative logos to sign his pieces, which he often accompanies with a bright pink color palette—a strict taboo in the world of graffiti creators. Savarias’s distinctive work also includes his “love graffitis”—street art used to profess love on the walls of the city using its citizens name.
Contrary to other acclaimed graffiti artists such as Kieth Harring or Samo, André exhibited his pictures at hospitality venues—while also participating in their openings and promotion—deliberately bypassing art galleries. These venues include the world-famous Le Baron Night Club and the boutique Hotel Amour, with the latter being the starting point of his partnership with Vipp. The idea of the collaboration came about when André Savaria ordered bins from the established Danish brand Vipp for his Parisian hotel.
“I loved the pink bin in Hotel Amour, so together with Vipp we decided to make a small collection out of it. I believe that street art is for everyone. As I’m used to very large canvases in my work as a street artist, I was thrilled to also do a Vipp art kitchen,” explained André. So the pedal bin ‘The Amour’ was created along with a matching kitchen island—all iconic Vipp products—dipped in cotton candy pink and decorated with cartoonish figures on which Mr. A, the alterago of André also makes an appearance.
In the past 20 years, the Vipp pedal bin has been used as a source of inspiration by numerous artists, but it is the first time that Vipp’s steel kitchen is used as an artist canvas. “This collaboration is a celebration of all the love that takes place in the kitchen. The love for food, for cooking, and sharing it with your loved ones,” added Saraiva. As luck would have it, the starting point of the collaboration also carries the founding story of Vipp itself. “The collection was initially made for my hotel, so naturally it was named ‘The Amour Bin’. The name resounds, even more, when I learned that the 80-year-old bin was born out of a true love story,” highlighted the artist. First crafted in 1939 by metalsmith, Holger Nielsen, in the small Danish town Randers, the Vipp bin was originally a token of love for Holger’s wife, Marie, who needed a practical waste bin for her hair salon.
The pieces with André Saraiva’s pattern make a great gift as a token of love on Valentine’s Day as well. Discover more items from Vipp’s repertoire at the Home of Solinfo showroom in the heart of Budapest. The collection is available from January 14th on Vipp’s website and in select Vipp stores.
Photography: Anders Schønnemann
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