SWATCH Presents Two New SWATCH Art Specials by MIKA

 SWATCH has supported and worked closely with artists ever since the brand was launched 30 years ago. Recently in Venice the Swiss watchmaker presented the result of its latest collaboration with an artist of international repute, two new Swatch Art Specials designed by the post-modern pop phenomenon, Mika. The British pop singer was on hand yesterday at Ca’ Giustinian, headquarters of La Biennale di Venezia, for a special event highlighting the Swiss brand’s commitment to art and artists. Paolo Baratta, president of la Biennale di Venezia, joined SWATCH in celebrating, as the 2013 edition of la Biennale approaches its close, a very successful partnership between the Swiss watchmaker and the world-famous contemporary art exhibition.

At the press conference Mika spoke about working with Swatch to create the new Swatch Art Specials. “When I was asked to design a watch for Swatch I was really excited, thrilled to be asked. To create something special you need movement and energy, it all comes from emotion and makes it fun. My approach is to write a whole story and design an object that comes out of the story. The story creates a link between all the different energies and the things that we’ve done around this project that bring our story to life, the wooden masks, which add a hand-crafted dimension, and the packaging, the music - everything.” 

KUKULAKUKI (GZ287S), available in a strictly limited edition of 999, and KUKULAKUKU (SUOZ171) have their origin in an imaginary mythical narrative invented by Mika and his sister Yasmine, and express the pop singer’s idea of the watch as a totemic object. The colorful designs are inspired by tribal masks and by art from Morocco and Tunisia. The two Swatch Art Specials are accompanied by a new release of Swatch AR’t, the Swiss watchmaker’s smart phone app, featuring an “augmented reality” enhancement to the mythical spirit world of the watches and additional content about the Mika 4 SWATCH project and ongoing collaboration. 

 A selection of international press and media attending today’s event were welcomed by Swatch Creative Director Carlo Giordanetti, who invited the journalists to explore the many different aspects of the long-term creative partnership between SWATCH and art. He recalled the well-known collaborations with leading artists over thirty years, the brand’s partnership with la Biennale di Venezia and its presence at both the Giardini and Arsenale venues during the past six months, and reminded his audience of the significant commitment to supporting artists and their work through a residency program at The Swatch Art Peace Hotel in Shanghai. Guests at the event were also invited to take a closer look at a number of sculptures in wood, developed during the course of the project with Mika.

 “Swatch engages with art and artists because we share the values that come alive in art, from positive provocation and joie de vivre to playing with colors and new materials, exploring design and new forms of expression. It’s been a great pleasure to partner with La Biennale di Venezia and to participate in such an amazing exhibition,” said Carlo Giordanetti, Creative Director with the Swiss watchmaker.