Omari’s Pop Up!

Gratin presents Omari’s Pop Up!, a merch drop in which the gallery in collaboration with artist Omari Douglin and designer Aristotle Skretas have made paintings ready to wear. The artist has admired the gallery's longstanding efforts to occasionally release their Gratin logo t-shirt in limited quantities to gallery goers, friends, and family. The design of the logo is just as good as any top designer and there’s something about t-shirts that is undeniably useful. It is friendly, universal and we see potential in it being a way for more people to access art. Several of Douglin’s works were selected to be put on t-shirts for this presentation. This isn’t the first time images of artworks have been put on clothing, but through choosing high quality materials and advanced printing processes, we aimed to elevate the clothing to the level of the artworks. We see the future of art expanding into clothing, everyday objects and functional products. Not everyone can afford to buy a painting, but making a painting into a shirt changes that. We like the idea that you can buy a shirt, wear it, travel, and the artwork stays with you being exposed to different people and places. Or you can keep it in the package, take it out, hang it on your wall or frame it as an Omari Douglin. That slippage is what we are interested in and people having something tangible that becomes part of their daily lived experience. It lives with you at home or goes with you out into the world. It’s your choice!