Philadelphia home decor brand, Paradise Gray will be opening their first art exhibition, entitled "There's No Place Like Home", at Lapstone & Hammer this Friday night, 10/21, during Design Philadelphia. The collection pushes the boundaries of self expression through home decor, transforming everyday objects like sneakers, basketballs and bikes into colorful crystallized objects of wonder.
The exhibition will commence with an opening event this Friday, 10/21, from 6-9pm at Lapstone & Hammer's 1106 Chestnut St. location in Philadelphia. The exhibition will run for three days, ending Sunday 10/23 at 5pm. Lapstone will be going back to its early days by transforming our entire back room into a gallery space to display this unique and amazing work.
Throughout life, we accumulate objects that express our personal identity in various ways, holding on or letting go of things that accompany us on that journey. Paradise Gray have taken influential objects from fashion, sports and various subcultures, and preserved them by repurposing their functionality and materiality. This change in perspective elevates the beauty and importance of these objects from ordinary to remarkable, making the place we call home as expressive as the lives we live.
The exhibition will include the following pieces:
Basket Bowl ($350): A deflated official size NBA basketball sculpted and repurposed as a 'catch-all' bowl. Cast in varying grades of recycled glass and sand for pigment, with resin as a binding agent. The intention was to elevate this ordinary object of extraordinary potential and make it an object of discussion. Available in blue, red, purple, green and yellow.
Bucket Hat Planters ($150): Hand molded corduroy bucket hat cast in plastic. A popular fashion accessory repurposed to use as a stylish planter. Available in black or white.
Crystal Skate Deck ($1,200 each or $3,000 for all three): A life size skate deck preserved in three different grades (sizes) of crushed glass- Triple 0 (fine), Zero (mid) and One (large). These honor the grind, hustle and journey of a thriving subculture.
Crystal Shoes aka Shoefiti ($800): Air Jordan 1 and Dunk Lows cast in recycled colored glass and epoxy, these sculptures honor these two iconic cultural symbols and turn something worn in the street into something to be displayed inside your home. Available in blue, red, purple, green and yellow.
Shoe Impressions ($450): These works of art were inspired by humanity's journey to the moon as well as our personal connection with sneaker culture. The shoe imprints represent the places we have been and the places we are going. Five iconic shoes (Adidas Shell Toe, Timberland Construction Boot, Converse Chuck Taylor, Vans Checkboard Slip-on, and Nike Air Force 1) were impressed in a mixture of crushed glass, sand, epoxy resin and selenite crystals.
Stump ($450): The Stump, made from foam with a wood base, is another example of a playful twist on bringing the outside in. Here a natural object is materially changed into something unexpected and wonderous. Available in green, pink, black and white.
Acrylic Shelves ($600): These 1" thick acrylic shelves are both functional and beautiful, inspired by the architecture of Philadelphia.
Dante Porcelli and Michelle Rivera are designers whose work is centered on the experimentation of natural, synthetic, and recycled materials through the lens of hyper-realism. Their focus is primarily blurring the boundaries between experiential installations, interior design, and conceptual art while constantly in pursuit of the unexpected.
Dante’s background in work ranges from small scale resin/plaster toys for Daniel Arsham to inhabitable structures of crushed glass and sand for Fernando Mastrangelo. His unique journey working with Tyler Hays of BDDW, Daniel Arsham and Fernando Mastrangelo has led Dante to establish his own company Philadelphia CNC and the brand Paradise Gray. His work with these artists has been featured in Galerie Perrotin, Art Basel, Dior, Rimowa, Times Square, Audemars Piguet, 1st Dibs, AD Design Show, NY Armory Show, ICFF, Design Miami, and Hypebeast.
Michelle Rivera has spent the past few years in the advertising industry as a Graphic Designer and Art Director. She has worked with a range of brands such as Crown Royal Apple, Ally Bank, Melé Skincare, Nordstrom, Lone River Ranch Water, and Viñoly Architects, where she created successful campaigns and brand identities. Michelle’s work focuses on branding for the modern world using a clean, concise aesthetic. She has been featured in Adweek and GD USA, as well as honored by the Type Directors Club.
