lies mertens x Shirley Villavicencio Pizango

Shirley Villavicencio Pizango x Lies Mertens

Shirley Villavicencio Pizango used 10 Mariko bags for her artworks. The leather handbags became a canvas for the artist to play with, which resulted in a series of 10 unique self-portraits, moving at the intersection of design and art. Each bag is painted by hand and signed by the artist. 

On Saturday the 19th of June 2021 Shirley painted 10 bags live in our flagship store in Antwerp. 

This collaboration was made possible with the support of art gallery Geukens & De Vil. 

About Shirley Villavicencio Pizango

Shirley Villavicencio Pizango is a Ghent-based artist born in Lima. Using acrylic paint and adding vivid colours, her paintings feel spontaneous and expressive. Being inspired by the cross-over between her South-American roots and life in Belgium, she creates powerful and in sync pieces with the current zeitgeist. The way her portraits are able to make direct eye contact with their viewers is mesmerizing.

A couple of years ago, Shirley visited our pop-up store in Antwerp, where she was her enthusiastic exuberant self. Today we are excited to share our collaboration with this inspiring artist.