Amidst the solitude of the COVID era, ZG212 and ChipNipple found each other and together found solace and inspiration in a shipping container at Rubulad, a Bushwick art space. Here, amidst the eerie stillness that replaced the once-kaleidoscopic parties, they discovered a world of their own making—a sanctuary where collective creativity flourished. ChipNipple's vibrant, layered canvases, coupled with his inclusive belief that everyone can create art and that no mistake is insurmountable, liberated ZG212 from her creative constraints. Her love of scissors and glue melded with the markers that owned the space, ChipNipple's medium of choice. Together, they breathed life into blank canvasses and discarded fragments, transforming them into art that resonated with their shared experience. They nurtured each other's creations as their love unfurled. As they delved deeper, ZG212's tales of life below the waters of New York City became a wellspring of inspiration for ChipNipple. Her encounters with the hidden world amongst oyster reefs infused their work with new characters and themes. But their journey didn't end within the confines of the shipping container. With the arrival of their daughter, their sanctuary and studio space expanded into the warmth of their family apartment in Boerum Hill. Though the hours grew long and exhaustion often set in, they continued to collaborate, stealing moments of creativity in the quiet hours of the night. Now, they dream of a future when their collaborations will be a party of three—a legacy of love and creativity passed down through the generations.

@vadimpon: Yesterday, Via and I headed to one of the Art Basel shows yesterday. When we arrived, I told Via to pick out something that would be a celebration of us and our first art piece together. The place was filled with over 1000 booths representing 1000s of artists. Everything was paintings, sculptures, photos. Beautiful but nothing caught our eye. Then we stopped at a booth that had some very interesting Pointilism going on. Not with paint but with pins. A mountain of a man came over and started telling me about the works and how he collaborated with the artist. Yada yada, I started to walk on. Two steps later, Via says I like this. She points to two trash cans sitting side by side. Handpainted by this mountain of a man, who tells me his name is Michael Flaherty aka ChipNipple. How this man did this kind of detailed work given his hand could have easily palmed my face, is a testament to his skill. We negotiated a price (it's insulting to the artist to pay full price), and continued exploring. Before leaving, I mentioned that, the following day, today, we were gonna do the nasty. Our third for both of us. Several hours later we came back to pick up our piece and said our goodbyes. Upon arriving at our car, we noticed something written on the inside of the lid. It's awesome when vou not only buy something unique and special that you will treasure but even more so when the creator personalizes it for you. Thank you so much ChipNipple. You will always be a part of our lives and vour work will have a wonderful place in our quirky home. Oh, and the dirty deed was done.

Objects