Conceived as a limited-edition piece, THE END<\/em> blends Italian craftsmanship, innovative materials and a radical spirit that blurs the boundaries between art, functional object and cultural commentary. It\u2019s no ordinary joke. It\u2019s a piece that\u2014literally\u2014sits on design clich\u00e9s.<\/p>\n At first glance, THE END<\/em> looks like a classic headstone: upright form, solemn volume, marbled surface, typographic inscription. But up close, everything changes. The texture is soft, almost cushion-like; the shape, though visually heavy, is surprisingly light; and most unexpected of all\u2014it\u2019s something you can sit on.<\/p>\n Made of flexible polyurethane and hand-finished with Guflac\u00ae<\/em>, a proprietary coating developed by Gufram, the piece showcases the brand\u2019s mastery with unconventional materials. Guflac\u00ae<\/em> not only replicates the veining and roughness of marble, but also ensures that the pouffe remains durable, elastic, and conceptually coherent.<\/p>\n Toiletpaper<\/em> is known for its ability to disturb through visual means. Their photographs, campaigns and objects mix absurdity, kitsch, pop aesthetics and surrealism. With THE END<\/em>, Cattelan<\/em> and Ferrari<\/em> push their provocation into the realm of furniture.<\/p>\n “It\u2019s not just a seat, it\u2019s a joke in sculptural form”<\/em>. That may be the simplest way to describe their intention. But THE END<\/em> is more than that. It\u2019s also a way to reflect on endings: of things, of ideas, and perhaps of design itself.<\/p>\n Founded in Turin in 1966, Gufram<\/em> began as an artisanal venture and grew into a cornerstone of Italian Radical Design. With iconic pieces like the BOCCA\u00ae<\/em> sofa, PRATONE\u00ae<\/em> lounge chair and CACTUS\u00ae<\/em> coat stand, the brand has continually erased the line between art, industry, function and play.<\/p>\n Now led by Sandra<\/em> and Charley Vezza<\/em>, Gufram<\/em> continues to explore the intersection of utility and absurdity, domesticity and sculpture. THE END<\/em>, first released in 2014 and still relevant today thanks to its bold visual and conceptual impact, is a perfect example of this philosophy. It doesn\u2019t abandon utility, but it also never lets go of irony. At Gufram<\/em>, sitting is always a conceptual act.<\/p>\n In art and design, laughter is often subversive. THE END<\/em> doesn\u2019t aim for easy laughs\u2014its humour is dark, intelligent and unsettling. It\u2019s the sly smile of someone breaking the rules with elegance. The piece serves as a visual commentary on the death of icons, the transformation of symbols and the fleeting nature of style.<\/p>\n Its gold-lettered inscription, “THE END”<\/em>, might be read as a closing\u2014but also as a new beginning. A break in the narrative of everyday objects.<\/p>\n One of THE END<\/em>\u2019s greatest strengths lies in its ability to create cognitive dissonance. It looks cold, but it\u2019s warm. It seems hard, but it\u2019s soft. It appears static, but it\u2019s easily moved. These formal and material tensions are at the heart of Radical Design: to provoke the user, make them think, invite them to experience differently.<\/p>\n Handmade, each pouffe varies slightly, reinforcing its status as an almost artistic, unique, unrepeatable object. Its limited production makes it a sought-after item in contemporary design collecting, featured in bold interiors and art and design exhibitions alike.<\/p>\n Like other Gufram<\/em> creations, THE END<\/em> has moved beyond the domestic space to enter the institutional art world. Its presence in museums and design fairs confirms its multiple identities: seat, sculpture, manifesto. And in that multiplicity lies its power.<\/p>\n At a time when design often feels trapped between extreme functionality and superficial luxury, pieces like this offer a third way: design as idea, as critical gesture, as humorous provocation.<\/p>\n THE END<\/em> doesn\u2019t just parody death\u2014it mocks our fear of it. It turns it into an object, gives it colour, and recontextualises it. In doing so, it becomes a pop epitaph, a tombstone that doesn\u2019t mourn, but winks. As if to say: “Don\u2019t worry, this too shall pass\u2026 but at least sit comfortably in the meantime”<\/em>.<\/p>\n THE END<\/em>\u2019s power lies in its freedom. It doesn\u2019t ask for permission. It doesn\u2019t apologise. It doesn\u2019t try to please everyone. It\u2019s true to itself\u2014like any great object of Radical Design. And in an era of likes and algorithms, that is refreshingly bold.<\/p>\n THE END<\/em> is far more than a tombstone. It\u2019s a declaration of intent, a piece that mocks its own solemnity and invites us to take design (and life) a little less seriously. Because, as Wilde said, “Life is far too important a thing ever to talk seriously about”<\/em>.<\/p>\n (*)<\/strong> Images by Gufram.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" An epitaph to conventional design Nothing is quite what it seems in Gufram\u2019s universe\u2014especially when Toiletpaper, the irreverent artistic collective led by Maurizio Cattelan and Pierpaolo Ferrari, enters the scene. THE END\u2014a tombstone-shaped pouffe\u2014is a provocative celebration of absurdity, a satirical homage to death, and above all, a sharp critique of conventional design norms. Conceived […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":89955,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[5957,5915,5911,5901,5900],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-90057","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-design-en","category-shops","category-hotspots-en","category-artists","category-art-en"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nFrom graveyard to living room<\/h6>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s not just a seat, it\u2019s a joke in sculptural form.\u201d<\/h2>\n
Toiletpaper and humour as a disruptive tool<\/h6>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/ccmagazine.es\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/03_GC_GUFRAM_TOILETPAPER_THE-END.jpeg\")
<\/p>\nGufram: the radical legacy<\/h6>\n
The power of the ironic object<\/h6>\n
Materiality and contradiction<\/h6>\n
From living room to museum<\/h6>\n
A pop epitaph<\/h6>\n
\u201cTHE END may also be read as a new chapter in the story of everyday objects.\u201d<\/h2>\n
A piece that doesn\u2019t ask for permission<\/h6>\n