ICONIC COLLECTION
SALUTI DA MILANO
THE IDEA
TU BI was founded in 2021 by Brindisi-born artist Ivan Tafuro. The project draws inspiration from urban style, recreating sleek shapes through handmade glazed earthenware sculptures and glazed metal lamps.
The name is a take on the pronunciation of the infinitive “to be” - symbolic of the Self as the highest form of artistic
expression - and a play on the Italian word “tubi” - meaning tube-like or cylindrical. TU BI took part in the Alcova exhibition during last Milan Design Week 2023, in the "Surfing the surfaces" exhibition during Milan Design Week 2022 and in the "1000 Vases" exhibitionat Superstudio Più during Milan Design Week 2021.
TU BI's aesthetic is bold, ironic, and colorful in perfect harmony with the postmodern manifestations of the 1980s. The brand wants to influence the everyday life of its audience who will perceive each work differently, associating it with traditional signs such as a trident, letters of the alphabet, notes, and musical instruments up to spaceships. Designed to be individual pieces that express their own uniqueness, they lend themselves to being used as flower vases or large candelabra. They mix together shapes and colors as a complement. With the purchase of more pieces you get combinations that bring out the playful, ironic and dialogical character.
Each piece is handcrafted in Italy using white earthenware in an enameled finish. Taking advantage of the knowledge of artisan potters, the workmanship follows a process of about a month for each piece, respecting the phases of drying of the clay in casting, the first and second firing, glazing, and the third firing for the application of the logo through the decalcomania. A slow, sustainable process, whose quality is under the continuous control of the designer and the professionals it involves.