ÖMSESIDIG collection captures the art of celebration in print
Garlands, lampshades, and bold prints are among the festive results when nine creatives from Chile, Colombia, and Mexico join IKEA for ÖMSESIDIG, a collaboration set to make way for celebration. Artists and ÖMSESIDIG designers Diana Ordóñez and Trini Guzmán share the stories behind some of their colourful contributions to the collection.
To many, any mention of Latin America is bound to bring vivid colours to mind. Perhaps it’s the vast region’s variety of natural vistas and bright traditional arts and crafts. Or an architectural colour palette in parts owed to an ancient design hack to minimise the glare of limestone buildings in the sun. Then there is, of course, the people and festivities that celebrate it all with a side – or centrepiece – of music, dance, and food.
Among some of this colourful imagery, Colombian artist and muralist Diana Ordóñez finds inspiration for her vibrant work, which graces walls across the world as well as her own merchandise. And come April, it will also be printed on products in ÖMSESIDIG, an upcoming IKEA collection for which nine creatives from Latin America share their unique takes on celebration.
“I’m from Bogotá, but I had the opportunity to make a lot of trips outside of it, to the rural areas, growing up”, says Diana, lighting up as she recounts the experience.
“I got to explore not just the environment and nature, but also many celebrations and events of different microcultures. I feel very connected to them, and I think that gives me a different sensibility to a person that might’ve stayed in the concrete jungle of a city their whole life”.
That Colombia, in all its most vivid colours, is thus a big part of Diana’s art. Art that has taken her around the world – and that she believes in using to educate people about the rich, multifaceted culture of her home country.
“My hope was always to show my work outside of Colombia and let the world get to know these other parts of our culture. Getting a blank canvas in the collaboration with IKEA, I felt obligated to have the patterns and colours used in Latin America and mainly Colombia in mind for it”, says Diana.
“I really love to use colours in all my art, to make people feel like they are also at a carnival with me. It’s about happiness, but it’s also about telling a story.”
Taking a colourful celebration from Colombia to print with IKEA
Some of the stories Diana enthusiastically tells involve festivities close to her heart. She lights up again as she goes on to list a few: The Devil’s Carnival in Riosucio, The Flower Fair in Medellín. And the Carnival of Barranquilla, a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
A four-day festival leading up to Lent, the Carnival of Barranquilla is Colombia’s biggest celebration of folklore. It’s also known for having many participants sport colourful and expressive masks depicting everything from animals to mythical creatures.
Some of these masks decorate Diana’s own home in Bogotá – and inspired her ideas for the ÖMSESIDIG collection.
“Masks are used as a way of expression, a moment when you can be a monster, a bull, a cow, a woman, a man. For me, the mask is an interpretation of the many characters that are inside of us”, says Diana.
In turn, Diana’s ÖMSESIDIG mask print – which graces a cover for the SYMFONISK picture frame Wi-Fi speaker – is an interpretation itself, but of characters found in her home country.
A close look at the design will reveal takes on some of Colombia’s rich flora and fauna in the details, the orchid among them. Meanwhile, the colourways make for a more abstract nod to the different natural landscapes that the country has to offer.
“We’re on the equator where biodiversity is enormous. We have different waters, we have islands, we have the Amazon jungle. We have all the thermic grounds, from deserts to snowy mountain tops”, Diana explains. “My work for this collection is also a celebration of that diversity.”
“I really love to use colours in all my art, to make people feel like they are also at a carnival with me.”
Celebrating family, home, and self
Whether grand odes to culture and heritage or simply gathering some of your favourite people because you can, a celebration is a happy occasion, nonetheless. To multi-disciplinary artist and muralist Trini Guzmán from Chile, the latter kind is one she’s learned to treasure even more today.
“Reflecting on celebrations in the middle of the pandemic was super profound to me. It made me think of everything I missed, things I’ve taken for granted and looked forward to doing again. Like inviting people to my home, and what it really means to do so”, she shares.
Trini’s home in Santiago, Chile holds a part of her heart. Sharing it with others for a celebration means opening her heart to them too. It’s in the colour of the walls, the furniture and objects thoughtfully picked out – all deeply connected to who she is, each reading like a passage of her story. A story with another protagonist alongside herself.
“My new stage as a mother has been really transformative and it has changed our dynamics for celebration too. We don’t only invite people home – we also invite them to celebrate with us in the park!” Trini says.
A warm smile spreads across her face as she recounts a memory with her now five-year-old daughter.
“The last time we went to the park to celebrate my daughter, we took all these meaningful decorations with us to make it nicer. With care and love, we made that piece of the park a part of us to share with the people we invited. That’s been an important point for me in the creation for ÖMSESIDIG. What objects can we make part of us that we can also bring with us to make a space feel like ours?”
The colourful, customizable ÖMSESIDIG garland forms part of the answer.
Encouraging creativity across generations by design
A festive display of botanical motifs and patterns recurring in Trini’s art, the ÖMSESIDIG garland also has a few blank decorations to be coloured in at will. Like most of her creative processes for the collection, it was heavily inspired by play with her daughter. From noticing specific expressions and lines in her drawings to bring into an art concept, to exploring different ways of creating together.
“A lot of celebrations are so adult-centred. I like to involve my daughter in our activities in the home, which is what made me think a lot about what products could be versatile and nice for both children and adults to explore creativity together”, Trini explains.
For Trini, creativity is something that expands constantly. Every new expression – be it murals, embroidery, sculptures or objects – is a means for that expansion. And exploring creativity in community with others happens to be one of her favourite celebrations.
“I taught embroidery classes before the pandemic, and I realized that they weren’t just classes – they were celebrations of creativity. Every person there was sharing their own story, their approach and creativity. It was so rewarding. I really missed that contact with people during times of confinement in the pandemic, the sharing of materials and creativity”.
Working on ÖMSESIDIG offered not only a chance to explore the concept of celebrating creativity, but also an opportunity to do so at a distance.
“It’s been great and fun to work with the whole team at IKEA. They really helped give our ideas purpose and shape. I learned so much from it”, Trini says. She adds with enthusiasm:
“One of the things I’ve enjoyed the most about working with this collection and team overall was realising that we are all so alike despite our differences. There’s a spirit that unites us, and it’s really nice that the collection shares something about that unity. About how we can all create and enjoy some of the same things – and celebrate that”.
The ÖMSESIDIG collection will be launched in April 2023.