On the Hunt for a Good Fine Art Puzzle? Meet Kinstler's Rami Metal
Kinstler is a Brooklyn-based puzzle company that features the art of emerging and established contemporary artists who are creating vibrant work that speaks to and is informed by the world that we live in today.
Where is Kinstler based out of?
Brooklyn, NY
Is there a story behind the name “Kinstler?”
Well Kinstler actually means artist in Yiddish. I wanted the name to reflect that we were, first and foremost, a company that put the artists front and center. I also wanted the name to reflect some part of my upbringing when I was first getting into art and puzzles -- Yiddish was something I heard a bunch growing up so I thought that the name just fit.
When and why did you get into making puzzles? Where did the idea of collaborating with emerging and established contemporary artists come from?
I've always been doing puzzles--it's just been one of those things that I was both really into and weirdly good at from a young age. As I got older I found myself solely interested in fine art puzzles but after a while I felt like there weren't many options out there that I found terribly interesting. As I was thinking about Kinstler, I started really getting into contemporary art and became excited by the idea of bringing the art I was seeing to a mass market via puzzles. I also thought that interviewing the artists and including them in the puzzles would be a nice and fairly unique add on.
Do you have a current favorite from your collection? If so, why?
Oof, that's a tough one. I obviously like them all quite a bit. I think working with Pure Vision Arts to make Simone Johnson's Bodega Cat painting into a puzzle has been really rewarding and it's popularity has definitely been good for us. But in general I'm very grateful for all the artists who have taken a bit of a leap into the unknown by working with us despite not being around very long.
Where do you see Kinstler in the future? Any cool plans or projects in the works?
I'm excited about how we're going to grow in this, our second year of existence. Specifically I think people will be seeing us in a lot more stores and with different puzzle sizes on offer. Oh and of course, we're very excited about working with more amazing artists!
Follow Kinstler on Instagram: @kinstler_co
Follow The American Design Club on Instagram: @americandesignclub