We were recently reminded of the benefits of playtime through and Adam Frezza and Terri Chiao’s art. Known collectively as Chiaozza, the two treat art as their personal playground, experimenting with a range of mediums that include sculpture, installation, collage, design, and public art.

“We like to play together, experiment together, and use materials as the balls in the game, so to speak,” shared the couple in an interview with Matter of Hand. “Play means giving ourselves permission to do whatever we want and craft means the editors in us coming out and mediating the making process,” they explain. “But play and craft are in constant flux in our practice.”

According to Chiao, they use natural and synthetic materials, treating both as sources of inspirations. “The materials can be paint, paper, brush, string glue; anything we can guide together to make an image,” they note.

According to the duo, their projects are inspired by intersections of the natural and imagined worlds, highlighting the magic that can be found in the everyday. “We might agree that the spectrum of natural versus artificial is continuous,” says Chiao.

“A lot of the things that we’re attracted to come from the ‘man-made’ or ‘utilitarian’ world versus the ‘natural’ world. So they’re two descriptors that we use but they often flow into each other.”

Founded long before the pandemic, back in 2011, the couple have since exhibited their collaborative work in solo exhibitions in New York, Philadelphia, and Los Angeles, in numerous group shows around the US, and in a variety of art and design venues internationally.

Follow their Instagram page for more oomph.

The post Introduce an Element of Play to Your Life with Chiaozza appeared first on Wallpaper Data.

According to Taxali, his iconic style has come to be during his studies, through much trial and error. “I was doing a lot of similar work and I was doing a lot of illustration,” he recalled in an interview with Cool Hunting. “I would just grab random things and start trying different techniques—not even techniques, more experimenting.”

After some playing around (and goofing around) with materials, he found his signature style. “I have a couple of different rules when I work,” he relayed, explaining the creative process that goes on behind the scenes. “One of them is that I don’t really like to work on anything white—like a blank canvas or a fresh piece of paper. I think it’s very scary and intimidating. I might do a drawing on a little piece of paper—a scrap paper from my studio—then I’ll think of where it’s going to end up. I might pick up a wood panel or an aged piece of paper and I think of that as most of the picture being already done, and then I think of the character or drawing as finishing it. After that I might then add a word.”

His body of work encompasses a broad spectrum of media, which includes public and private galleries and museums, leading international magazines, publications, merchandise, books, and public installations in the art. Some of his collaborations and clients include giants like Rolling Stone, GQ, The New York Times, and MTV, as well as Warner Bros., Paramount Pictures, and Coca-Cola.

“There has to be an element of play and fun in the commercial world,” Taxali notes, “and I’m fortunate that the art directors I work with get me. The ideas are an extension of my work; I don’t do other people’s ideas.” Scroll down to see more of his work.

The post Something Old, Something New: Gary Taxali’s Retro-Inspired Art appeared first on Wallpaper Data.

We were recently reminded of the benefits of playtime through and Adam Frezza and Terri Chiao’s art. Known collectively as Chiaozza, the two treat art as their personal playground, experimenting with a range of mediums that include sculpture, installation, collage, design, and public art.

“We like to play together, experiment together, and use materials as the balls in the game, so to speak,” shared the couple in an interview with Matter of Hand. “Play means giving ourselves permission to do whatever we want and craft means the editors in us coming out and mediating the making process,” they explain. “But play and craft are in constant flux in our practice.”

According to Chiao, they use natural and synthetic materials, treating both as sources of inspirations. “The materials can be paint, paper, brush, string glue; anything we can guide together to make an image,” they note.

According to the duo, their projects are inspired by intersections of the natural and imagined worlds, highlighting the magic that can be found in the everyday. “We might agree that the spectrum of natural versus artificial is continuous,” says Chiao.

“A lot of the things that we’re attracted to come from the ‘man-made’ or ‘utilitarian’ world versus the ‘natural’ world. So they’re two descriptors that we use but they often flow into each other.”

Founded long before the pandemic, back in 2011, the couple have since exhibited their collaborative work in solo exhibitions in New York, Philadelphia, and Los Angeles, in numerous group shows around the US, and in a variety of art and design venues internationally.

Follow their Instagram page for more oomph.

The post Introduce an Element of Play to Your Life with Chiaozza appeared first on Wallpaper Data.

According to Taxali, his iconic style has come to be during his studies, through much trial and error. “I was doing a lot of similar work and I was doing a lot of illustration,” he recalled in an interview with Cool Hunting. “I would just grab random things and start trying different techniques—not even techniques, more experimenting.”

After some playing around (and goofing around) with materials, he found his signature style. “I have a couple of different rules when I work,” he relayed, explaining the creative process that goes on behind the scenes. “One of them is that I don’t really like to work on anything white—like a blank canvas or a fresh piece of paper. I think it’s very scary and intimidating. I might do a drawing on a little piece of paper—a scrap paper from my studio—then I’ll think of where it’s going to end up. I might pick up a wood panel or an aged piece of paper and I think of that as most of the picture being already done, and then I think of the character or drawing as finishing it. After that I might then add a word.”

His body of work encompasses a broad spectrum of media, which includes public and private galleries and museums, leading international magazines, publications, merchandise, books, and public installations in the art. Some of his collaborations and clients include giants like Rolling Stone, GQ, The New York Times, and MTV, as well as Warner Bros., Paramount Pictures, and Coca-Cola.

“There has to be an element of play and fun in the commercial world,” Taxali notes, “and I’m fortunate that the art directors I work with get me. The ideas are an extension of my work; I don’t do other people’s ideas.” Scroll down to see more of his work.

The post Something Old, Something New: Gary Taxali’s Retro-Inspired Art appeared first on Wallpaper Data.