DRAGA & AUREL
DRAGA & AUREL Copyright © 2022 Todd Merrill All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law. For permission requests, write to the publisher, addressed “Attention: Permissions Coordinator,” at the address below. Todd Merrill & Associates, Inc. 80 Lafayette Street New York, NY 10013 www.toddmerrillstudio.com Printed in the United States of America Catalog Design: Dallas Dunn Photography: Simon Leung
Self published using Lightning Press Totowa, NJ
DRAGA & AUREL Founded in 2007 in the town of Como, Italy, Draga & Aurel is a multi-disciplinary design studio that works along the spectrum of furniture, textile and interior design. Draga Obradovic began her career in the fashion industry, first working in London and Milan as a textile designer before eventually settling in Como. Aurel K. Basedow graduated from Milan’s Accademia di Belle Arti with a degree in Fine Arts, having previously trained as a carpenter and woodworker. The most recent capsule collection reflects the use of transparent materials as well as a deeper exploration of what transparency can mean in art and design. Their first works to be shown with Todd Merrill Studio, Transparency Matters was inspired by Minimalism’s simplified volumes, retro-futuristic experimentation of Space Age design and the eye-bending patterns of Optical Art. Draga & Aurel have brilliantly synthesized these varied influences to build a jeweltoned collection, entirely fabricated by hand in their Como atelier. Working with colored resin, bronze, and brass, the duo designed all-new seating, tables, and lighting that span both indoor and outdoor. Draga and Aurel’s latest works, appropriately named the Flare collection and exclusive to Todd Merrill Studio, showcases their profound exploration of transparency in art and design. Drawing inspiration from the elegant simplicity of Minimalism, the futuristic charm of Space Age design, and
the mesmerizing patterns of Optical Art, Draga & Aurel have ingeniously amalgamated these influences. Each piece in this collection is meticulously handcrafted from Lucite, a material that captures their fascination. Flare epitomizes the duo’s deep dive into the interplay of color and light refraction. Through a rigorous study of materials and their capacity to come alive with color and light, Draga & Aurel have created a material process that imitates internal illumination created as opposing colors react to ambient light . Their mastery in epoxy resin artistry is globally acknowledged, and in this project, they push their creative boundaries further by embracing Lucite. This acrylic material undergoes a painstaking process, with skilled artisans from Lake Como collaborating closely with the duo in their studio. Inspired by the intricate three-dimensional color studies of South Korean artist Jiyong Lee and the compositional brilliance of Vasa Mihich’s acrylic sculptures, Draga & Aurel delved into the concept of refraction. By strategically combining colored Lucite sheets of varying shapes and thicknesses, they achieved a mesmerizing spectrum of hues. Each piece is precisely cut and glued, resulting in an astonishing interplay of light and color—a revelation for anyone who beholds it. These multifaceted objects, with their ever-changing appearance from different angles, epitomize the essence of a flare, representing intuition, revelation, and the joy of discovery. In the words of Obradovic, “Flare is a spark of color that explodes, frees itself, and takes shape. It’s joy, experimentation, intuition, and freedom of expression.”
Flare Table I, IT, 2023 Lucite 17.13h x 39.37w x 39.37d in 43.50h x 100w x 100d cm
Flare Table II, IT, 2023 Lucite 22.83h x 35w x 32d in 57.99h x 88.90w x 81.28d cm
Flare Totem H180, IT, 2023 Lucite 71h x 17.25w x 14.75d in 180.34h x 43.81w x 37.47d cm
Flare Table III, IT, 2023 Lucite 19.88h x 17.32w x 22.44d in 50.50h x 44w x 57d cm
Flare Table IV, IT, 2023 Lucite 22.83h x 19.29w x 17.72d in 58h x 49w x 45d cm
Flare Table VI, IT, 2023 Lucite 18.50h x 16.93w x 23.62d in 46.99h x 43w x 60d cm
Flare Table V, IT, 2023 Lucite 19.88h x 24.02w x 25.59d in 50.50h x 61w x 65d cm
Flare Table VII, IT, 2023 Lucite 20.28h x 17.32w x 22.44d in 51.50h x 44w x 57d cm
Maree Monumental Table, IT, 2022 Resin in R16 Jade, Brass 30h x 220w x 55d in 76.20h x 558.80w x 139.70d cm
Marre Desk, IT, 2022 Resin in R16 Jade, Brass 30h x 96w x 21d in 76.20h x 243.84w x 53.34d cm
Golia Console, IT, 2022 Concrete, Resin in R17 Olive, Brass 33.50h x 66.75w x 11.75d in 85.09h x 169.54w x 29.84d cm
Medium Jade Table, IT, 2022 Resin in R17 Olive, Brass 19.75h x 18.75w x 18.75d in 50.16h x 47.63w x 47.63d cm
Small Jade Table, IT, 2022 Resin in R14 Cobalt, Brass 33.50h x 66.75w x 11.75d in 85.09h x 169.54w x 29.84d cm
Large Jade Table, IT, 2022 Concrete, Resin in R19 Tobacco Green, Brass 33.50h x 66.75w x 11.75d in 85.09h x 169.54w x 29.84d cm
Small Jade Table, IT, 2022 Resin in R11 Grape, Brass 15h x 18.75w x 18.75d in 38.10h x 47.63w x 47.63d cm
Large Jade Table, IT, 2022 Concrete, Resin in R19 Tobacco Green, Brass 33.50h x 66.75w x 11.75d in 85.09h x 169.54w x 29.84d cm
Joy Circle Wall Lamp, IT, 2022 Neon, Resin 47h x 47w x 5d in 119.38h x 119.38w x 12.70d cm
Joy Lights, IT, 2022 Neon, Resin, Brass 47h x 47w x 5d in 119.38h x 119.38w x 12.70d cm 62h x 8w x 5d in 157.48h x 20.32w x 12.70d cm
Todd Merrill Studio Todd Merrill Studio represents an international group of established and emerging artists, each with a singular artistic vision and unprecedented point of view. In creating unique works of collectible design, each artist takes a hands-on approach that intersects contemporary design, fine art, traditional craft techniques, and pioneering innovation. Individually, through meticulous craftsmanship and rigorous studio experimentation, each has developed leading-edge, proprietary methods that break previously set inherent limitations of conventional materials like wood, metal, plaster, concrete, ceramics, glass, and resin. Their intimate studio approach fosters an atmosphere of creativity where the work rendered significantly bears the hand of the artist. Collectively the artists are helping to create a new visual vocabulary that advances long-held, established artistic boundaries. Their dynamic, one-of-a-kind, and frequently groundbreaking works contribute to today’s increasingly relevant grey space between art and design. With the gallery’s support, the artists’ works have entered the collections of major private and public patrons and prestigious museums including the Cooper Hewitt National Design Museum in New York; the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston; the Museum of Art and Design in New York; the High Museum in Atlanta; the Victoria and Albert Museum in London; the Carnegie Museum of Art in Philadelphia, the Houston Museum of Fine Art, and the Brooklyn Museum in New York.
In 2000, Todd Merrill opened Todd Merrill Antiques which quickly became renowned for its glamorous and eclectic mix of twentiethcentury furniture and lighting. The pioneering gallery was one of the of the first to promote modernist and postmodernist American studio artisans including Paul Evans, Phillip Lloyd Powell, George Nakashima, Karl Springer, James Mont, Tommi Parzinger, among others. In 2008, Rizzoli published Merrill’s “Modern Americana: Studio Furniture from High Craft to High Glam”, the first ever authoritative examination of the great studio furniture makers and designers who, from 1940 thru the 1990s defined American high style. To celebrate the tenth anniversary, in 2018 Rizzoli published an expanded edition, adding 60 pages to his original book. This survey of the period continues with two massive additional chapters focused on Women Makers and Showrooms. After the publication of Modern Americana in 2008, Merrill began to shift the focus of the gallery and started the Studio Contemporary program which has today become his primary focus. Also in 2008 the gallery introduced Custom Originals, a line of custom produced upholstered furniture designed by Merrill himself. Merrill’s signature creations reflect his vast experience with twentieth-century design and knowledge of contemporary tastes.