PHOTOGRAPHY: ROBBIE LAWRENCE WRITER: PEI-RU KEHIt would be easy to write off Material vodka
as another boutique label that simply looks
good on the bar shelf. But while its branding
is restrained and attractive, the outfit has
also become known for its patronage of the
arts, bestowing an award for performance and
time-based art onto a new recipient each year.
Co-founder Pati Hertling is a Berlin-born,
New York-based lawyer who specialises in
the return of art stolen during the Holocaust
to its rightful owners. She’s also a part-time
curator (her next project is a group show for
Gavin Brown’s Enterprise), and a full-time
figure on the New York art scene.
Hertling says she created Material as
a smart means to an end. ‘It’s hard to sustain
art making without having to ask people for
money all the time,’ she says, ‘so why not make
a product that everybody in the art world
consumes already, so that we can have this
perpetual cycle that keeps on giving back?’A world of oenophile wonders and spirit-raising accoutrementswine&design*
Together with Thymaya Payne, a filmmaker
and friend, Hertling enlisted Abe Stevens,
a distiller from Humboldt County, California.
An old friend of Payne’s, he runs Humboldt
Distillery, the only certified organic purveyor
of spirits in the North Coast region. ‘This
area has one of the softest waters in the US,
which is very beneficial, since vodka contains
80 per cent water,’ says Hertling. After
tasting several different formulas, Hertling
and Payne settled on one with no added
sugar or acids: ‘We went for a more Eastern
European taste, very classic and not as sweet
as other vodkas. It’s wheat-based, organic,
and filtered through coconut carbon. The
smoothness is really its most successful trait.’
Although the brand is still in its infancy,
Hertling has great ambitions. ‘We could
potentially have a very significant art fund of
more than a million a year,’ she says. ‘The idea
is to become one of the biggest corporate artfunders, and to support performance and
time-based art, as opposed to painting and
sculpture, which already have an established
market. These more intangible art forms
are generally dependent on sponsorships or
grants, and are so important in shaping our
culture; they are often more political and
engaged in social issues.’ This year’s award
goes to Sondra Perry, an artist best known for
video, performance and computer-based
works that investigate black history, heritage,
femininity and identity.
Thanks to the recent launch of a
crowdfunding campaign, Hertling is also
pushing on with a slew of collaborations
with politically minded creatives, chefs and
mixologists. Angela Dimayuga, previously
of Mission Chinese Food, and Gerardo
Gonzalez of Lalito are both collaborating
on special infusions for Material. ∂
material-vodka.comLEFT, THE MATERIAL
VODKA BOTTLE,
DESIGNED BY CREATIVE
DIRECTOR PATRICK LI
BELOW, PATI HERTLING,
MATERIAL’S CO-FOUNDERMATERIAL
A New York-based vodka brand
takes a shot at fundraising
GAINS for the contemporary art world∑ 169