Artist: Debra Franses-Bean
Since Bean studied at St. Martins she has worked on an international level in USA, Australia, Italy, Germany, Guatemala and London. These wide reaches have had a profound influence on her work. The main form for Artbag is cast from a classically shaped women's handbag. As a child, Bean constantly re-imagined uses for these everyday vessels that became dollhouses or treasure chests filled with household objects and toys. For Artbag, Bean permanently captures these intimate moments of joy by embedding sentimental objects (a man's pocket-watch, toy cars, butterflies) into the purse forms. Her choice to turn these sculptural objects into lamps makes these desirable objects slip on the line between fashion, design and fine art. Captured in clear resin, cast from a discarded designer handbag, Artbag illuminates and mixes the world of simple enduring pleasures with the world of transient luxury.Bean can also be commissioned for bespoke works or projects.
