Renowned artists have often been invited to collaborate with brands within their artistic practice – Château Mouton Rothschild, La Vache qui Rit, and Agricola Due Leoni are just prominent examples of brands that have entrusted artists with designing their labels. This master's thesis addresses the question of the surplus value of (re)designed objects, which, due to their association with their utilitarian function, are not (necessarily) understood as artistic. The aim of this thesis is to explore where and how to position such objects, while also examining our relationship with the material world, what constitutes the material world around us, and how this world is organized. The analysis of the trend of artistic treatment of goods is important for several reasons – ideas are not only spread from the market to art but also from art to the market. The thesis illustrates theoretical points with specific examples of marketing strategies used by the previously mentioned brands. A key reference in addressing the role of the object as a status symbol – as a carrier of cultural, social or other forms of capital – is the writing of Pierre Bourdieu.
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