Sebastian ErraZuriz

Sebastian Errazuriz (born 1977) is a designer, artist, entrepreneur and activist based in New York.

He is known or a diverse body of work that demands reconsideration of familiar objects.

These works often challenge viewers perceptions of how things are, and blur the boundaries between contemporary art, design, and craft.

At 28 Errazuriz became the second living South American artist to have his work sold at Sotheby's Important Twentieth Century Design.

Between 2008-2009 Errazuriz took on Christianity with his collection of sculptures and objects culminating in his collection God Saves.

The pieces in this series include; Road Kill; The Passion of Christ; Superman Christ; Saint Sebastian; and Gulliver.

Each piece applies humor to the depiction of Jesus (accept for Saint Sebastian, where Errazuriz himself is depicted as a martyr in the Catholic Cannon) in a criticism of religion.

One of Errazuiz's most iconic pieces, the 2009 Boat Coffin allows its occupants to sail off in their eternal resting place in style, noting the inevitability of death.

In 2010 he was named Chilean Designer of the Year.

In 2012 Errazuriz' once again expanded on his work taking aim at religion when he expressed his intentions to CNN of distributing 100 controversial popsicle he had designed to bring attention to America's growing religious extremism violence.

The Jesus Popsicle Errazuris claimed transformed into the blood of Christ came on a cross shapes Popsicle stick featuring a laser engraved image of the crucifixion.

During the 2012 Occupy Wall Street movement, Errazuriz used the likeness and messaging of the Occupy signs, and printed them on the back of white fold-able chairs.

The chairs began as a concept for use in the actual Occupy Movement spaces and were then given a second use as a way to infiltrate 1% homes with purchased art featuring 99% voices.

When the Chairs were presented at The Armory show for purchase Errazuriz's included in part of his artist statement:

"The artist wishes to support the 99% by inviting collectors (representing the 1%) to purchase the complaints as art or furniture, thus introducing the ideas of one group into the homes of another and at the same time getting the rich to support the cause of the 99%.

As a double-sided mirror, the Occupy Chairs also explore the potential for these complaints against the richest one percent to be transformed into glamorous fashionable catchphrases in design-art pieces that celebrate the exclusive luxury market."

Errazuriz also often repurposed items and forms for his work giving them new life and perspective as functional furniture.

In 2013 Errazuriz began to revealing his collection 12 Shoes for 12 Lovers, a series of high heels inspired by former relationships.

Each pair of heels were accompanied by a story and created with a form reflecting the personalities of one of the 12 women:

These Shoes Created to help Errazuriz explore and reflect on his own relationships, were all accompanied by photos and stories of the individuals they were inspired by.

After Debuted at the Art Basel Show in Miami Beach, the collection went viral and has garnered over 35 Million hits on Google.

In 2014 he had his first solo show a Carnegie Museum of Art, which garnered earned him comparisons to Marcel Duchamp and Maurizio Cattelan.

Errazuriz has been featured in multiple magazine covers and portrayed in thousands of press articles.

He has received critical acclaim from The New York Times, The Financial Times and The Wall Street Journal, among others.

Gestalten published the first monograph of his work.

In 2014 Errazuriz again displayed his ability to use design objects to tackle controversial political and social issues in Tough Love.

The collection took on a number of issues through 15 pieces Such as The United States of Mexico bringing attention to "Recent statistics show that in some states almost 50% of construction workers are undocumented. This information suggests that many sectors of the U.S. economy are dependent on immigrant labor";.

Other pieces in the form of clothing garments like Rapist and monogrammed letterman jacket is meant to expose "the incidence of rape on college campuses while playfully dwelling on the idolization of the attackers."

This was not the first occasion Errazuriz used clothing and fashion in his work, as he also created customized T-shirt designs from tourists classics by dipping them in dip-dye.

These shirts were sold with all proceeds going to the Hurricane Sandy Relief fund.

In addition, his work has been featured in mainstream TV on BBC, CNN, and ABC". His work has been exhibited all over the world including in the middle of time square with his 2015 public art installation A Pause in the City that Never Sleeps, where the artist's yawning face appeared on multiple of the monitors.

Sebastian Errazuriz was born in Santiago, Chile, and raised in London.

He received an industrial design degree from Pontifical Catholic University of Chile in Santiago, and a master's degree in Fine Arts from New York University.

Using humor in designs such as T for TWO, a shareable split down the middle mug, and Cocaine Slab, a tray with four linear embedded slots for the perfect line, Errazuriz has been able to create unorthodox solutions.

As a designer and artist, Ezzaruris has often used product design elements to explore art vs. design and put forth challenging ideas with such themes as life, death, and religion.

In 2015 Errazuriz collaborated with Fashion retailer Melissa to create limited-edition versions of the Gold digger and The Boss for purchase.

Errazuriz is noted for having "expand(ed) the concept of furniture"; and questioning the difference between traditional design and art with is "Functional Sculptures".

An example of these furniture sculptures is a series of mechanical cabinets, which "at first glance, the credenzas, cabinets, and boxes may appear simplistically elegant, but they each possess a surprising element. when opened, the interactive works can rotate, spin, and take on new shapes, colors, and forms. Blending advanced technology with traditional craft, the collection seeks to test the limits between sculpture and function."

One of these pieces titles Wave Cabinet has garnered massive interest and over 20 million views online.

These furniture pieces can also take on a message of activism.