Pinky Wainer: Sao Paulo

My sisters and I used to love inflatable toys because they could be kicked and thrown around without causing too much damage (always good for staing un-grounded) to both furniture and ourselves. Sao Paulo artist Pinky Wainer has the same affectionate endearment for the inflatable animals that she as a kid would buy from corner street vendors, but she’s found a way, after much experimenting, to keep them enduring through the years without losing air or novelty. The secret is in layers. She blows up the inflatable animals, like elephants, horses and cats, to their full size and coats them in layers of various materials — secret, of course — waiting lots of time in between each layer before finally finishing off the last one with slick, shiny, automotive paint that she uses to make a design. In the end, the plastic toys are fully functional again, but as contemporary art pieces. Wainer’s currently working on an inflatable plane and doll and what she says are unexpected forms. You can get them at her eclectic shop-slash-book publishing unit, Loja do Bispo.