An award-winning work of modern art made of UPM ProFi at the Venice Biennale
UPM’s wood plastic composite appeared in the imaginative floor solution of a new terrace café at the Venice Biennale in summer 2009. German artist Tobias Rehberger designed the café area for which he won the Golden Lion for the best artist in Venice on Saturday, 6th of June. Rehberger designed the café in close collaboration with Artek, who is one of the sponsors of La Biennale di Venezia.
Produced mainly from recycled materials, the UPM ProFi Deck decking board were used at the Venice Biennale as part of a work which also serves as a café at the brand-new Palazzo delle Esposizioni. “The work was inspired by the camouflage painting made by artists during the First World War to conceal British battleships and merchant ships from enemy eyes,” says Rehberger as he describes the background of his work.
A geometrical pattern dominates the café space, covering the walls, floor and some furniture and continuing out onto the terrace. The terrace is made of Night Sky Black and Marble White UPM ProFi Deck decking boards.
Covering an area of approximately 133 square metres, the terrace is in place throughout the year. This way the natural characteristics of the construction material come into their own.
The jury of the 53rd Venice Biennale awarded Tobias Rehberger the Golden Lion as Best Artist.