In May 2020, Michelle Poonawalla collaborated with Inkiostro Bianco to design a series of wallpapers for their Goldenwall collection. Goldenwall is a luxury collection by the Italian design house designed by nine international artists and designers. Goldenwall celebrates Inkiostro Bianco’s techniques allowing them to print on Gold Leaf and Pink Gold, and the resulting wallpapers highlight metal-effect base materials often mixed with the sparkle of precious metals.
Michelle Poonawalla’s two designs, The Flutter and Misty Flutter, take the silhouette of a butterfly, incorporating Poonawalla’s motif, which has been present in her work since the inaugural exhibition ‘What If You Fly?’. However, the scale of the wallpapers has allowed Poonawalla to take elements of inspiration from her more recent explorations into digital video mapping, for example her seminal installation Introspection; which has been displayed at the Saatchi Gallery, London; Alserkal Avenue, Dubai; and as a collateral project at the Kochi Biennale, India. The end result is both a wallpaper and a work of art that creates an intense immersive experience, which hopes to push the viewer into a contemplative space of calm and meditation.
Talking about the project Poonawalla noted, “It is great to be able to design on such a large scale, going beyond what I could ever do with a traditional canvas. Whilst I have incorporated elements of my style I have also tried to preserve the distinctive character of the brand particularly in the choice of colour.”
Talking about the collaboration, creative director of Inkiostro Bianco, Manuel Mollicone expressed, “The cooperations with designers represent a cultural and creative enrichment for Inkiostro Bianco. We hope we have done justice to Michelle’s designs, the final wallpapers are the result of intense four-handed work: a very delicate process that requires at the same time great respect for the styles and proposals developed and attention not to distort their artistic origins.” Works from the Goldenwall collection are available to order in India from select stores in New Delhi, Mumbai, Pune, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Guwahati, Ludhiana, and Chennai.
Alongside the collaboration with Inkiostro Bianco Michelle has been working on various other charitable projects including 21 Migrants, a sketch that portrays the human tragedy of the impact of the coronavirus in India, which was sold to raise money for charity; Masks d’Art a series of masks which will be sold to raise money for Art for Concern; and a new abstract paintings series called Colours of Life. Painted in a thick impasto style these new abstract works reflect a vision of positivity and vibrancy as we look to the future. Inspired by nature, the works have been produced during lockdown and are influenced by what Poonawalla has been able to see around her.
