Fascinated by his own Tswana heritage and the diversity of African cultures, Atang Tshikare’s work highlights beliefs and myths about the cosmos and divinity. For Dior, the artist has created a medallion chair in vegan tanned leather enhanced with constellations in relief, using a debossing effect.
Milan – In occasion of the Salone del Mobile, Dior invited seventeen artists to reinterpret ‘the medallion chair’ – emblematic design object for Louis XVI and later on for Christian Dior. The fashion house selected the medallion chair to represent its style and welcome their guests during shows.
“In my view, this 18th-century medallion-backed chair with an incredible story of its own is a star,” says South African artist Atang Tshikare who created the celestial beading and black leather version. “Not just any star, but one that continues to shine brighter than most in the contemporary design world.”
Renowned for his unique artistic take on African storytelling, Tshikare created the Dinaledi chair as his interpretation of the Dior Medallion chair made with beads, wood, leather and bronze.
Inspired by his own tswana heritage and the diversity of African cultures, Tshikare highlights beliefs and myths about the cosmos and divinity in his reiteration of the Dior Medallion chair dressed in vegan tanned leather, augmented with constellations in relief, using a debossing effect.
The house’s interiors collection, Dior Maison, recently tapped 17 international artists, designers, and architects to reimagine the Medallion chair, a project that was unveiled at the Salone del Mobile fair in Milan this week.
When fashion house Dior set up its first boutique on 30 avenue Montaigne in Paris, 1946, it was characterized by simple and modern interiors but with classical features. Founder Christian Dior believed essential french aesthetics resided in the palace of Versailles, and adored especially the oval-backed medallion chair said to have been used by Louis the 16th, featuring it frequently in boutiques and fashion shows. The chair became an icon of the Maison, later appearing as a visual element for perfume bottles and advertisements.
The boundaries between fashion and design are famously porous, especially in the case of Dior’s medallion chair. An iconic symbol of the fashion house since the beginning, it has now been reinterpreted by 17 international designers, architects and artists for the return of the Salone del Mobile in Milan.
In South Africa, craft may be ancient, but design is young. With the launch in 2017 of the world-class Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa designed by British architect Thomas Heatherwick in Cape Town’s historic grain silo on the waterfront – which was the biggest public art space to open on the continent for more than a century – along with the beach city’s thriving design and gallery scene and annual art fair, South Africa is finally attracting global attention in terms of culture. South African design, in disciplines spanning from furniture to ceramics, is one of the most exciting sectors for new collectors.