Brud Studia
Brud Studia
(est. 2020, Melbourne)
Brud Studia is a design studio established by Mitchell Zurek and Andrew Kelly, who collaborate on one-of-a-kind and limited-edition furniture and objects. Combining primitive construction methods with contemporary and digital design techniques, Brud Studia creates conceptual pieces with a Brutalist aesthetic.
Pushing the boundaries of art and functionality, Aluminiowe skos, 2022, is an absurdist take on a familiar item – the chair. A clear silhouette, slanted back and a hand-brushed finish suggest the possibility of comfort; however, constructed entirely from laser-cut aluminium, the chair is extremely cold, hard and heavy, weighing 67 kilograms. The piece was inspired by communist-era war memorials known as spomenik, the Serbo-Croatian/Slovenian word for ‘monument’, first designed to honour resistance during Yugoslavia’s occupation in the Second World War. Aluminiowe skos uses simple and direct construction techniques like sanding, slotting and hammering – manifested in expressed joints, jagged profiles and intersecting planes – assembled without the need for nails or screws. ‘Made by two very different, very stubborn people, it is a miracle it exists at all’, explain Zurek and Kelly.
Since launching in 2020, Brud Studia has developed work for private clients and public art commissions in collaboration with Yarra City Council. Its work has been exhibited at Sydney Design Week (2022), Melbourne Design Week (2021), Craft Contemporary (2021) and At the Above Gallery (2021). The duo also founded the Fitzroy gallery Oigåll Projects in 2021, which champions the work of like-minded artists from around the world.
Mitchell Zurek and Andrew Kelly from Brud Studia discuss the process and creation of their Melbourne Now piece Aluminiowe skos, an absurdist take… Read more