AT THE MiNiMONO PROJECT, WE STRIVE TO MAINTAIN HONEST, MEANINGFUL, AND CARING RELATIONSHIPS WITH EVERYONE WE WORK WITH. WE CONSIDER HEM PART OF OUR EXTENDED FAMILY.

OUR JOURNAL FOCUSES ON EXPLORING THE UNIQUE UNIVERSES OF DIFFERENT MiNiMONO FAMILIES, INCLUDING CHOSES FAMILIES SUCH AS FRIENDS, PARTNERS AND COLLABORATORS.

TODAY WE ARE TALKING TO SIMONE ARTALE, ARTIST, TATTOOER AND BUSINESS OWNER. WITH WHOM WE HAVE COLLABORATED TO CREATE TWO DESIGN OBJECT FOR O.E.L

1- CAN YOU INTRODUCE YOURSELF AND TELL US WHAT YOU DO? 

MY NAME IS SIMONE ARTALE. I’M ORIGINALLY FROM ROME, ITALY, WHERE I STUDIED THEOLOGY AT A JESUIT UNIVERSITY WITHIN THE VATICAN. ABOUT 15 YEARS AGO, I MOVED TO BERLIN — A CITY THAT’S DEEPLY SHAPED MY PATH AS AN ARTIST AND PERSON. I WORK AS A TATTOO ARTIST AND PAINTER, AND I’M ALSO ONE OF THE MANAGING DIRECTORS OF O.E.L. WITH CLARA, A COMPANY THAT BRINGS ORGANIC OLIVE OIL AND REGIONAL PRODUCTS FROM GREECE TO GERMANY. MY WORK MOVES BETWEEN DIFFERENT WORLDS — THE SPIRITUAL, THE ARTISTIC, THE EARTHY. INK, CANVAS, OLIVE GROVES, AND STORIES.

2- WHAT WAS THE TRIGGER THAT MADE YOU START O.E.L? 

I JOINED O.E.L. VERY EARLY ON, WHEN IT WAS STILL A PASSION PROJECT AMONG FRIENDS. AMADEUS, THE FOUNDER, BEGAN BY SELLING HIS GRANDMOTHER’S OLIVE OIL FROM KALAMATA IN UNLABELED CANISTERS. THERE WAS SOMETHING RAW AND HONEST ABOUT IT — NO BRANDING, JUST QUALITY AND HERITAGE. WHAT PULLED ME IN WAS THIS BEAUTIFUL INTERSECTION OF PERSONAL HISTORY, CULTURAL MEMORY, AND THE IDEA OF CREATING A BRIDGE BETWEEN GREECE AND GERMANY. IT WASN’T JUST A PRODUCT — IT WAS A WAY OF TELLING A STORY, AND I WANTED TO BE PART OF THAT.

3- WE COLLABORATE WITH LIKE-MINDED PROFESSIONALS WHO SHARE OUR COMMITMENT TO ENVIRONMENTAL RESPONSIBILITY AND ETHICAL PRACTICES. AS PART OF THIS EFFORT, WE LOVE HEARING FROM INDEPENDENT CREATORS ABOUT HOW THEY INTEGRATE THESE VALUES INTO THEIR WORK... HOW DO YOU MAKE BUSINESS CHOICES THAT ALIGN WITH LONG-TERM ENVIRONMENTAL OR SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY?

WHETHER IN THE TATTOO STUDIO OR WITH O.E.L., I TRY TO THINK IN TERMS OF CARE AND LONGEVITY. IN TATTOOING, THAT MEANS SLOWING DOWN, FOCUSING ON MEANINGFUL EXCHANGES, NOT RUSHING THE PROCESS. WITH O.E.L., IT’S ABOUT RESPECTING TRADITIONAL FARMING METHODS, WORKING WITH SMALL PRODUCERS, AND BUILDING TRANSPARENT, FAIR RELATIONSHIPS. WE’RE NOT INTERESTED IN FAST GROWTH — WE WANT TO GROW LIKE A TREE: STRONG, ROOTED, AND ORGANIC. RESPONSIBILITY, FOR ME, STARTS WITH HOW MUCH ATTENTION YOU GIVE TO EACH STEP, AND HOW HONEST YOU ARE WITH YOUR INTENTIONS.

4- THE SPACES WE WORK IN ARE LIKE LITTLE SANCTUARIES, WHAT DO YOU LIKE MOST ABOUT YOUR STUDIO?

I’VE ALWAYS HAD THE FANTASY OF BECOMING A MONK. I’VE BEEN DRAWN TO THAT KIND OF FOCUSED, SIMPLE LIFE — THE DISCIPLINE OF DOING EVEN THE SMALLEST TASK WITH PRESENCE. I’VE ALWAYS LOVED FRA ANGELICO, THE MONK WHO PAINTED WITH DEVOTION AND CREATED CELLS FILLED WITH SIMPLICITY AND BEAUTY. MY STUDIO IN WEISSENSEE CARRIES A BIT OF THAT SPIRIT. IT’S QUIET AND INTIMATE, FILLED WITH MY OWN PAINTINGS, OLD BOOKS, AND NATURAL LIGHT. IT’S A PLACE WHERE TIME SLOWS DOWN, WHERE PEOPLE COME NOT JUST FOR A TATTOO, BUT FOR SOMETHING DEEPER — A CONVERSATION, A PAUSE, A MOMENT OF REFLECTION. IT FEELS LIKE A SMALL SANCTUARY, AND THAT’S EXACTLY HOW I LIKE IT.

5- WHAT INSPIRED YOU TO COLLABORATE WITH MiNiMONO, AND WHAT ASPECTS OF OUR VALUES OR APPROACH STOOD OUT TO YOU?

THE MEETING WITH DIRK WAS A KEY MOMENT. THE CHEMISTRY WAS THERE RIGHT AWAY — I LIKED HIM FROM THE FIRST MOMENT. THERE WAS THIS UNSPOKEN UNDERSTANDING, SOMETHING REAL AND EASY. WHAT I ADMIRE ABOUT MINIMONO IS THE ATTENTION TO DETAIL, THE HONESTY IN YOUR WORK, AND THE QUIET CONFIDENCE IN YOUR SIMPLICITY. YOU’RE NOT CHASING TRENDS — YOU’RE MAKING THINGS THAT LAST, WITH CARE AND CONSCIOUSNESS. THAT RESONATES WITH ME. OUR COLLABORATION FELT LIKE A NATURAL MEETING OF MINDS, ROOTED IN SHARED VALUES AND A RESPECT FOR PROCESS.

THANK YOU, SIMONE, FOR YOUR HONEST AND INSIGHTFUL ANSWERS. WE TRULY APPRECIATE YOUR WORK AND ARE GRATEFUL TO BE PART OF YOUR PROJECT. WE SEE THIS AS THE BEGINNING OF A FRUITFUL PROFESSIONAL AND PERSONAL RELATIONSHIP.