Edition of /5 + 1 AP
Faience glazed with transparent matt glaze, metal and plastic
Signed and numbered by Vitor Reis
30 × 20 × 6 cm
2020

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I believe that this piece came about through a constant practice of observation. In general, when I observe the objects around me I am constantly manipulating them: taking them apart and putting them back together again in order to understand what new things they can tell me. Deep down, it's almost like a conversation – when the object is done, it means that both of us reached an agreement.

The title “Painting Tool” ends up introducing the idea behind the piece, a type of hybrid between the common paint roller and the spray can. Through a formal analogy between these two cylindrically shaped objects this piece emerged as a new proposal that condenses two possibilities into one single “body”.

In the process of creating this piece, the idea was to maintain the “design” of the spray can as close to the real thing as possible. To this end, I decided to create the mould directly from the spray can. Once this plaster mould was finished it was filled with liquid clay (which later solidifies and is placed in the kiln, turning into ceramic). I also opted to use a transparent matt glaze that accentuates the “small flaws” that occur in this process of reproduction, thus crystallising the object into a more sculptural representation. - Vitor Reis