F5: Draga & Aurel on Lake Como, Joseph Beuys + More

Makers Draga Obradovic and Aurel K. Basedow are known for their artistic approach to materials and composition, with a range of influences from fashion to traditional craftsmanship. Upcycling pioneers, the duo began their design journey by reinventing furniture and objects in their signature style.

During an early open studio they asked people to bring in old furnishings, anything from a grandmother’s armchair to a favorite cabinet, with the promise of a new life for each beloved piece. What started as a small family event with servings of tea and biscuits soon became a true happening, complete with a long queue outside. That’s when Obradovic and Basedow realized that they could turn this venture into a business.

Aurel K. Basedow and Draga Obradovic of Draga & Aurel \\\ Photo: Valerie van der Werff

The partners in work and life established Draga & Aurel, a multidisciplinary studio and workshop for art, collectible design, and furnishings, in 2007. Their debut at Milan Design Week two years later marked the start of key partnerships with brands like Baxter, one the duo still works with today. It’s a collaboration that has shaped their own approach. “Baxter is not a simple client,” Basedow says. “It is a company that believed in us and taught us how to be professional designers.”

Their landmark Transparency Matters collection, launched in 2019, was a departure from the pair’s emphasis on vintage items and textiles. They selected resin as the primary material, prized for its interplay with light. They continue to update the line because it brings them back to their roots – art combined with all of their experience and experimentation.

As Obradovic refines these pieces and others, she continually draws inspiration from the images that surround her every day. “I am very visual and I need to see things to fix them in my mind,” she notes. “When I see something I like, I take a picture and then I kind of create mood boards that can further spark my imagination.”

Today, Draga & Aurel join us for Friday Five!

Dan Flavin, Untitled (to Don Judd, colorist) 1-5, 1987 \\\ Copyright © Stephen Flavin / 2024, ProLitteris, Zurich. Panza Collection, Mendrisio \\\ Photo: Florian Holzherr, courtesy of Kunstmuseum Basel

1. Dan Flavin

This is an artist which attitude really inspired our work. The interaction between light and color, at the basis of Dan Flavin’s work, is a theme to which we are very sensitive. Minimalism and deep sophistication, but with a ‘maximalist’ effect. The starting point is a common object, the neon tube, studied and elevated to art. The Kunstmuseum Basel – one of our favorite museums – recently hosted the exhibition ‘Dedications in Lights’ highlighting over 50 light works of Dan Flavin; a permanent installation is also located in the museum’s yard.

Photo: Francio Ferrari, courtesy of Superduper

2. Superduper

This “Made in Italy” brand, founded in Florence in 2011, celebrates the care and quality of handmade hats. We really like the fresh, creative, sometimes a little worn/used and informal style. More generally, the hat is an accessory that can never be missed, so much so that we both have a collection of them.

Joseph Beuys, THE HEARTH (1968–1974) and Feuerstätte II (1968–1974) © 2024, ProLitteris, Zurich \\\ Photo: Jonas Hänggi, courtesy of Kunstmuseum Basel

3. Joseph Beuys

German artist and sculptor, Beuys was one of the most important exponents of conceptual art of the last century. He is famous for his quote ‘Jeder mensch ein Künstler’ (everyone is an artist). This way of conceiving art was particularly encouraging and inspirational for us, it really changed our approach to painting. Everyone expresses his or her creativity by creating a personal form of art. It is also a point of reference for us as one of the first and greatest artists to have expanded the meaning of art.

Photo: Julius Hirtzberger, courtesy of The Venice Venice

4. The Venice Venice Hotel

Venice has been the destination of some of our recent trips, and each time we are surprised and rediscover its beauty and uniqueness. In particular, one of our favorite places is The Venice Venice hotel, opened a few years ago following a renovation of the Ca’ da Mosto Palace, a concentration of art and design overlooking the Rialto. Architecture, fashion, art, and design come together to tell the story of the most influential avant-garde movements in the international art scene of the last century. It is an evocative place, owned by the founder of Golden Goose.

Photo: Anne Timmer

5. Lake Como

Como is the city where we live and work. This historic town full of charm, located on the shores of the lake, has always been a source of inspiration for us. The lake, especially, provides a sense of peace, relaxation, and freedom. We love to spend time sailing on our boat, discovering hidden coves or small villages. Living here is like being a tourist in your town, the beauty is everywhere, and we feel blessed of being part of it.

Works by Draga & Aurel

Photo: Courtesy of Todd Merrill Studio

Flare Collection, an exclusive project for Todd Merrill Studio
Flare is a capsule collection by Draga & Aurel that explores the power of color and light refraction through the craftsmanship of an original acrylic resin, Lucite. Flare is the result of an impassioned study of materials and their ability to come “alive” through color and light. Inspired by South Korean artist Jiyong Lee’s study of the three-dimensionality of color and by the complex compositional technique used by Vasa Mihich for his acrylic sculptures, Draga & Aurel have focused on the concept of refraction, which arises from the composition and breakdown of matter. The collection, which is an exclusive for Todd Merrill Studio, premiered in the 2023 edition of Design Miami.

Photo: Riccardo Gasperoni

Per Speculum in Aenigmate, an exhibition in collaboration with Contemporary Cluster at Palazzo Brancaccio, Rome (2022)
With their first personal exhibition in Rome, Draga & Aurel wanted to highlight the strong dialogue between Aurel K. Basedow’s pictorial works and some of the duo’s iconic design pieces. The title of the exhibition took its cue from a biblical passage, a pivotal text in which the assumption of the impossibility of any human knowledge with respect to the divine is expressed. The duo interpreted those verses in their most evocative exception, focusing on the concepts of “mirror” and “enigma” that has always distinguished their practice. Design or art? Their works are, in fact, always a powerful encounter and the result of an original mixture of material experimentation, artistic creativity, function and aesthetics.

Photo: Riccardo Gasperoni

Heritage collection
Heritage, a collection of one-of-a-kind pieces, was born from a common passion for vintage and the desire of re-working second-hand furniture, when upcycling wasn’t a trend yet. Understanding potential and imagining how each piece could become, Draga & Aurel collect original vintage items from local thrift shops and markets and reinvent them with their own style.

Their combined range of skills and past experiences in fashion, textiles, art, and graphic design allows them to broaden the techniques and tools they use to screen printing, embroidery, and resin covering, among others. Each item is original and completely restored in the Como atelier.

Photo: Riccardo Gasperoni

The power of lighthearted design – Exhibition “Tinted Hues” at Nilufar, 2024
A collaboration with the Milanese gallery Nilufar resulted in a capsule of objects with a playful, carefree mood. Resin is the absolute protagonist, together with rounded, soft shapes and pastel shades that mix and match to create almost hypnotic effects.
Part of these lighthearted collections are the Bon Bon lamps, the Dewdrops coffee tables and the Glaze table.