Before toilet paper became commonplace during the 1960s, it was newspaper that was used for personal hygiene. Perhaps it is in reference to this dark era that Cattelan and Ferrari created one of the most ironic magazines in contemporary art.

But do you know that behind this famous magazine that is Toiletpaper are two equally subversive artists?

Maurizio Cattelan

This artist born in Padua (Italy) in 1960 and based in New York saw his first successes in contemporary art at the end of the 2000s. He has distinguished himself in recent years through various events and creations. It is through his work that he likes to provoke or even shock his audience.

 

We were able to discover his irreverence in La Nona Ora (1999), where he does not hesitate to represent himself in life-size wax statue, Pope John Paul II crushed by a meteorite. The resale of the work by the first buyer did not help him, he went so far as to tape the face of the gallery owner who had sold it to a wall so that he could sell himself.

Beyond the various productions, each more provocative than the last (the solid gold toilet seat America , the statue of Hitler kneeling Him, etc. ), the intervention which caused the most stir was undoubtedly Comedian . This banana hung on a wall using a large piece of tape refers to conceptual art and Marcel Duchamp's Fountain . After being sold in three copies for between €120,000 and €150,000 each, the artist David Datuna came to “complete” the work on his own by eating one of his copies. He explains his action, itself entitled Hungry Artist, by a desire to denounce the abusive prices of the art market when more than 95% of artists are poor.

“Comedian”, 2019 .

Cattelan began publishing in 2010 with Permanent Food , a magazine in collaboration with Paola Manfrin. In a way a preamble to Toiletpaper, Permanent Food is a cannibalistic magazine made of stolen photos, reworked and taken out of context.

Pierpaolo Ferrari

The other half of the duo is Pierpaolo Ferrari. Born in 1964 in Milan, he is an advertising photographer. From 1994, he worked in agencies such as BBDO and Saatchie & Saatchie while photographing major brands such as BMW, Nike, Audi, Mercedes, Sony, Heineken, MTV and Campari. Ferrari joined the world of the press with Le Dictateur in 2006, a magazine on art and luxury. He also integrates fashion with publications in Vogue Homme, Elle, as well as working on campaigns for Kenzo and Emporio Armani.

Toiletpaper exhibition opening, 2016

ToiletPaper

In 2010, the two friends founded Toiletpaper magazine. At the crossroads of the views of Cattelan and Ferrari as well as under the artistic direction of Micol Taslo, Toiletpaper is the magazine of kitsch, cringe and the disturbing. Each edition exists alone or in a special version, accompanied by an unusual object. A number of collaborations have taken place with other artists and brands.

We can then think of the magazine and the magnificent book created with photographer Martin Parr.

Toilet Paper Magazine, here

Another very nice collaboration with Kenzo began in 2013. The Cattelan, Ferrari, Taslo trio is here completed by Carol Lim and Humberto Leon, both artistic directors of the brand. Together they developed the Kenzine magazine.

Beyond individual editions and collaborations, Toiletpaper and its concept spill over into different mediums. Ranging from tableware to computer covers, mirrors that are as funny as they are fishy, ​​The End poufs, clothes, masks and even the new jewelry store, you can experience Toiletpaper all day long.

You can find the world of Toiletpaper on The Woods website or at the store 22 Rue André del Sarte in Paris.