Cape Town-based artist Michael Chandler gave Miami boutique Cult Gaia a distinct look with a hand-painted ceramic tile mural covering the store’s façade. Inspired by the owner’s Persian heritage, the mural has Tree of Life theme and spans 1,800 tiles.
Chandler worked on this commission in his studio, Chandler House, mapping each tile so that they could be reassembled easily in Miami. The blue hue of the tiles hearkens back to the decoration of Persian mosques and is also reminiscent of the azulejos that decorate many structures in Portugal.
Once the mural theme was decided, Chandler was given creative reign over how the piece took shape. This led to a satisfying creative process that allowed Chandler to follow his artistic instincts.
“I really enjoyed watching the tree motif grow,” he tells My Modern Met. “I began with the thick tree trunk that originated from the ground, and then, with each tile, slowly thinned out and branched into the finest of branches at the tips of the mural.
“As I painted the tree, a range of birds, flowers and other forms emerged that I had no idea were inside me. It was a wonderful, and exciting process to see what would appear each day.”
Given that the final mural would only come together as a whole once in Miami, Chandler had the difficult job of ensuring that the composition would remain balanced. Now that the piece is installed, it’s clear that Chandler’s thoughtful choices have come together beautifully. The darker areas of the trunk anchor the mural but don’t overwhelm the piece, and the animals scattered across its branches add interest without drawing too much focus.
Chandler applauds designers Jess and Jonathan Nahon of Sugarhouse Design and Architecture for thinking of his work and bringing him on board.
“I hope people who are working with spaces and design take away a little more courage to do things on this level of artistry,” he shares. “The world doesn’t need another gray building. Imagine more buildings were ‘artworks?’ What a wonderful world we would live in!”
Pleased to see his work in such a public setting where it can brighten someone’s day, Chandler is excited about the direction his work is taking and hopes to continue pushing the creative possibilities of his work with ceramics.
Cape Town-based artist Michael Chandler gave Miami boutique Cult Gaia a distinct look with a ceramic tile mural covering the store’s façade.
Chandler hand-painted 1,800 tiles for the Tree of Life-themed mural.
“I hope people who are working with spaces and design take away a little more courage to do things on this level of artistry.”
“The world doesn’t need another gray building.”
