CLAUDE GUILLAUMIN, Waterproof Mascara Esti Millet, 1975 / 2025

Edition of 20 + 1 AP
Chromogenic print on velour
Tapestry / Carpet
Custom size upon request
Indoor or outdoor use

Made to order. Dispatched within 2 - 4 weeks.
Please contact us for customizations.

In collaboration with Kalkeriet Contemporary and French artist Claude Guillaumin (b. 1946), we are pleased to present a limited-edition capsule collection exploring the intersection of photography, materiality, and applied form. Born in France and long based in New York City, Guillaumin’s photographic practice spans more than five decades, centering on themes of intimacy, urban life, and visual culture. New York’s layered architecture, social fabric, and charged street life have profoundly shaped his instinctive and observational visual language. Recognized early on for his editorial work in the 1970s and ’80s, Guillaumin later turned his focus toward portraying everyday women — privileging presence and authenticity over idealization. His compositions move between unguarded encounters and formal precision, offering a nuanced portrait of contemporary life. This capsule — developed in close collaboration with the artist — includes a curated selection of limited-edition photographs available through Kalkeriet Contemporary, alongside a series of chromogenic-printed rugs. Translated from photographic image into tactile object, the rugs reimagine Guillaumin’s visual narratives as immersive design elements. Designed for both indoor and outdoor settings, each piece is customizable within the original artwork’s proportions. Non-slip backings ensure functionality, while advanced print techniques retain the tonal depth and material complexity of the original works. 

The project positions itself within a broader lineage of artists engaging new technologies to extend the boundaries of medium and message. In the 19th century, Gustave Courbet and Julia Margaret Cameron redefined realism and emotional proximity through photographic processes. Later, Anni Albers and Sheila Hicks reimagined textile as a serious site of artistic inquiry. The 20th century brought further shifts through Jackson Pollock’s gestural abstraction and Andy Warhol’s use of silkscreen — both challenging traditional notions of authorship and reproduction. Today, digital artists such as Casey Reas and Jenny Holzer continue this trajectory, merging image, algorithm, and viewer interaction. Within this continuum, the collaboration with Claude Guillaumin proposes a hybrid form — one that exists between representation and function, surface and setting — inviting new modes of engagement with image, object, and environment.