On a good day, my pizza box goes into the recycling bin. On a bad day, out the window and into some landfill (neighbour's backyard). Clearly, I am not the most innovative of all people, nor am I the most environmentally conscious, which is why I am glad that Extra Cheeese is there to do for us what we are so unwilling to do for the ourselves (and the rest of the world): create masterly aesthetic artworks that blow audiences out of the water, whilst doing something useful with those damn pizza boxes.
Extra Cheeese arms artists and designers with pizza boxes -- allowing the two to (metaphorically) bake, -- and exhibits the end product. What goes on show just so happens to be quite amazing and more impressive than any grease stain on a piece of cardboard.
Creative recycling aside, Extra Cheeese opens the doors to emerging and established artists, creating a whole new visual experience and art making culture that kicks down the barriers between artist and designer. The line between art and design blurs as the two work within the same time and space, communicating ideas and images with the same visual language that pulsates through each masterpiece.
Exhibited side by side, the collection of artworks become a single body of work that speaks to us with a unified language of aesthetics -- eradicating preconceived notions of art and design and optimising existing relationships and practices.
All contributing artists/designers have the opportunity to make a bit of moolah (to buy more pizzas?) as the artworks are priced at $100 each and all are for sale (with a majority of the proceeds going straight back to artist/designer). Feeding young artists and providing them with a canvas for creation? Such is the power of a pizza box.
Visit www.extracheeese.com
Written by Tracy Lien
