Recently, all varieties of ornate wallpaper have made a resurgence in contemporary interior design. With approaches ranging from understated to maximalist, designers and artists alike have gravitated to the visual impact that the medium can provide, allowing for the incorporation of inspiring colors, patterns, and fine art into interiors at larger scales. In particular, wallpapers created by contemporary artists and fashion houses have gained popularity, making their work accessible to a wider audience while harkening back to the rich history and artisanry of wallpaper making.
The electric wallpaper is the first thing you’ll notice when you visit A World of Shine, the newest exhibition by Central West End–based commercial art gallery projects+gallery opening May 13th. The solo presentation of artwork by late St. Louis native Sandra Payne incorporates vibrant wallpaper based on the artist’s series of jewel paper collages.
To incorporate the wallpaper in the exhibition, the projects+gallery team digitized Payne’s collages, then manipulated and tessellated the images in varying scales. Key to this process was the choice to leave the hand-cut edges visible in the digital renderings, quite literally showing the hand of the artist in the reproduction. These wallpapers also continue Payne’s conceptual art practice in the creation of an immersive environment, an extension of her art into a lived experience.
Wallpaper’s Rich History
The concept of wallpapering can be traced back to China during the Qin dynasty, with the pasting of painted rice paper to walls. Over the following two centuries, the technique of block printing and the invention of wallpaper printing machines encouraged the widespread use of wallpaper to adorn homes.
To this day, the Chinese technique of hand-painting wallpaper—commonly referred to as chinoiserie style—is understood as the height of excellence in wall decoration. Often depicting naturalist scenes of flora and fauna, this mural style breathes life into a room as an aesthetically elegant pictorial backdrop.
Pictured below is a beautiful example of a contemporary interpretation of the hand-painted chinoiserie style, custom made by de Gournay for the Barrett Barrera Projects Guest House, a private guest house for visiting artists and creatives located in the Central West End.
Wallpaper As Contemporary Art & Luxury Design
Long before contemporary art world stars such as John Baldessari and Kiki Smith developed their patterns, Andy Warhol paved the way as early as 1965 with his own wallpaper concepts. Notably, artist Jim Hodges created wallpaper for his 2007 exhibition I Remember Heaven at the Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis.
In addition to artists, luxury design has also seen fashion houses including Versace, Louis Vuitton, and Hermès venturing into the wallpaper market. Gucci, in particular, has developed an array of prints that look back to historical block-printing processes and include contemporary iconic motifs such as the Gucci tiger print.
Artist-designed wallpapers offer a different avenue to collecting and living with art while maintaining the decorative tradition of the medium. A World of Shine celebrates the work of Payne and advances her collage work in larger scale with wallpaper options to create an immersive experience that examines beauty, value, and perception. Payne’s collages and wallpaper variations can be experienced in person in A World of Shine (on view through August 6) and are available to order at projects+gallery.
To continue the conversation and explore a custom order Sandra Payne wallpaper for your interior project, contact Bridget Melloy at [email protected] or visit projects-gallery.com.
This post was created by SLM Partner Studio on behalf of projects+gallery. Visit projects-gallery.com to learn more.
