Tomislav Topic had never touched a tennis racket before. He hadn’t even handled a pickleball racket. But when he was offered the opportunity to create a facility – a tennis court that would later play host to famous tennis star Nick Kyrgios – he took it.
Tomislav Subject, the 38-year-old Berlin artist famous for his site-specific chromatics and public graphics, embarked on some “firsts” by presenting his work on the coastal sands of Miami Beach. On December 6, Tomislav unveiled his aforementioned work: the Joe and the Juice installation that he had designed and painted three days before. Operating from a lack of sports knowledge and without any clear constraints, the artist took inspiration from the iconic imagery of Miami – Miami Vice in particular – and the juice brand’s iconic hues. The resulting tennis court was a delightful swirl of pinks, oranges and blues enriched with texture created by mixing paint and sand.
Despite the general rule that art should be admired from a distance, Tomislav embraced the idea of interaction during activation. The facility, complete with a country club-style juice bar, complete with rolling courts, where people would descend for a round or two at the top of the facility. Even Nick Kyrgios—one of only three players in the world to conquer the sport Big three (Djokovic, Federer and Nadal) endorsed Tomislav’s approach, suggesting that the tennis world should “take notes” on Tomislav’s free-form court design. “I definitely think tennis could play a little more with the aesthetics of the court. I think if they did it right and took the time, they could collaborate with some. artists make a court,” Kyrgios said.
While overlooking the multi-colored pitch, the question of what it would look like if Kyrgios designed a pitch arose. “All black ground, of course,” he said.
This is your first time installing artwork for Joe and the Juice and opening the exhibition for the SCOPE Art Fair. How do “firsts” inspire your work?
I go and see the space myself and I look at how the space gives me direction. Do I have to fill it completely? What effect do I want to have? The idea was of course to cover the entire ceiling, but I also wanted to add something more interesting. The inspiration for the colors came when I closed my eyes and thought of Miami Beach. I mean, I’m from Germany. We grew up with films from the United States, like Miami Vice. I wanted to have something very bright that would look interesting with the white sand surrounding it and the ocean in the background.
Once you were presented with the installation prompt, where did your mind instantly go? What were the first steps in your approach?
I mean, I’ve never painted on the floor. When I got the request, I said, “Okay, let’s do it.” ” Why not? I’ve never painted a terrain, and it might be funny. My abstract paintings are always freestyle, there is no sketching before. They were therefore open-minded and placed their trust in me.
Your use of color is what stands out the most. When you think of a traditional tennis court, what have you taken and left from traditional tennis and pickleball courts?
My abstract paintings mostly have more than one color and no lines. So, at first, I asked myself: will this make sense? People are probably confused on this ground because there is so much going on. But to be honest, I didn’t care. I don’t mind if a traditional tennis court looks like this or that. They want a painting, and they will get it.
Can you give more details about the colors you used and the process of mixing those colors?
For the court, I only had 16 colors to choose from because it’s a special tennis court (paint). This would be mixed with sand. So out of 16 colors, I chose eight, and there’s a wonderful gradient between the two. Since I do it directly on site, I can go with a damp roller. Many colors are created authentically on site. That’s really what I like; I love playing on the spot with colors and gradients. And gradients are never 100% perfect. This is what makes a painting. Otherwise we could have printed it.
You used a mixture of sand and paint to create texture on the ground, where did this technique come from and why did you decide to use this method?
They told me. When they sent me the request, I thought: I will paint with regular acrylic paint. And then there will be a coating, like a clear coat on top, mixed with sand for adhesion. But they said, “No, you have to mix the paint directly with the sand.” » I liked it because the sand makes the color very matte; colors appear deeper.
Are there other processes or techniques essential to creating the terrain that might have gone unnoticed by the naked eye?
When I started in the evening it was very humid and wet, so the paint didn’t dry at all. These were just composition lines, which I do before I start with the colors, so it wouldn’t be visible. It was also a bit of a pain to work in the evening, as the colors didn’t dry quickly enough.
What emotions came to you when you saw people playing on the field?
I saw people playing and it seemed like they were having fun. Nobody slipped. I think there was a fair amount of sand in the paint. So yes, it seemed like people weren’t bothered by the painting, but also by the white lines, which were very clear. I come from the graffiti scene, so I grew up painting on surfaces that I knew would be destroyed. When you install sculptures in public space, they become part of our environment until no one cares about them anymore. I like this.
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