Tony Matelli’s three throw blankets for the

Normann x Brask Art Collection express the feelings

of an artist in distress. The woolen throws are woven

enlargements of personal fax messages sent to some of

his art dealers in 2003 and made into a series of prints

for a solo show in Stockholm in 2008. Although written

in a polite manner, the messages convey a strong

sense of frustration and desperation: of unreserved

artist panic.

In a mix of machine writing, drawings and handwritten

notes, the faxes revolve around artistic doldrums, money

troubles, and the distorted reality of worrying about

unpaid bills whilst being confronted with the excessive

wealth of art buyers who shop with extravagant ease.

All satirically served up on a backdrop of cheery pastels.

Matelli perpetuates this humorous approach by turning

these frantic messages of the struggling artist into a

comforting and cozy object. Every little detail, from the

ink residues of the printer to the redactions and acts of

censorship, are reproduced in the felting, allowing you

to comfortably wrap yourself up in a marriage of soft

wool and artist’s despair.

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