daniel arsham brings a vintage RIMOWA suitcase back to life

daniel arsham has teamed up with RIMOWA to bring a much-loved vintage suitcase back from its illustrious archive. inspired by the premium travel brand’s camera cases of decades past, the american artist revisited the design as a numbered, limited-edition ‘eroded suitcase’. presented as an archival object, complete with art handling gloves, the sculpture is housed in a contemporary edition of the vintage case that inspired the artwork — a RIMOWA classic attaché.

similar to his ‘future relic’ series (2013–2018) where arsham imagines a variety of everyday objects as archaeological discoveries from a future, dystopian world, the RIMOWA ‘eroded suitcase’ artwork appears to have been extracted from dirt and debris as if unearthed from an archaeological dig. the only clue to the farce being the work’s pristine white color that almost amplifies the object’s eerie, otherworldly nature.

alongside similar works, the eroded suitcase joins a cast of musical instruments, including keyboards, which appear as physically crumbling eroding artifacts, examples of how new technologies can quickly become obsolete. the ‘future relic’ series also included multiple films arsham produced about these objects starring actors such as james franco, juliette lewis, and mahershala ali.

the artwork will first be presented during frieze NY art fair, where it will auctioned by sotheby’s alongside a signed drawing of the artwork, a personalized letter from the artist, and special edition luggage sticker set designed by RIMOWA and daniel arsham. the online-only auction will be open for bidding from may 2-13, 2019 with potential bidders encouraged to register their interest. the RIMOWA x daniel arsham limited edition art piece will be available at $2,200 USD RRP starting on may 17, 2019 in select RIMOWA stores and online.

1/7

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

design: daniel arsham
client: RIMOWA
auction partner: sotheby’s — auction