In celebration of organisms who exist predominantly in the brine, we're excited to share a BIOTA BRINE -- a special collaboration with our good friend Tate Kim and Plunge Towels. Tate is an artist and amphibious anomaly, recently seen buzzing around a boiling mexican point break in our video, Pterygium, and more commonly seen frequenting his favorite reef and concrete set ups in San Diego. The towels feature original artwork by Tate, Jacquard Woven into the highest quality cotton terrycloth made in the USA. This is a very limited run of 54 towels, split between Plunge & Sunman and only available online. Get yur self a towel here.
Skip down the page for an interview with Tate about the project.
Plunge Towels creates usable artworks in terrycloth. Jacquard-woven in the USA, these are top quality cotton towels for the beach or the home designed by rising artists and never mass produced. It was a joy to work with Tate's friend Jess from Plunge on this project: celebrating the freakish talents of our friend Tate and bringing to life a one of a kind artwork that can be used in the comfort of your home or whilst enjoying nature.
Read further for a quick Q&A with Tate about the project & more:
My name is Tate Kim, I’m 28, born and raised in Daygo, I like delicious meats and monkey videos.
What was the inspiration for this towel?
The ideas came from a suspicious yet aquatic group of images sent by the CEO aka Cam(eron) including various seaweeds, deep sea eels, speedboats, jellyfish, Pamela Anderson and Angler fish and shit. He knows I love drawing weird crap so I was very excited/honored to start designing. The colors represent land and ocean symbolizing the love for all things amphibian. #Peace
How long have you been making art? How did you find your style?
I don’t really draw that much anymore but I enjoy having projects like this because I get to work with my mui talented friends and it forces me to create. I've been drawing since I was a kid and my style is always changing but most of the time I’d consider my drawing scribble core. I like drawing abstract things and letters because it feels very freeing and random and limitless. I also always draw in pen because I like how there is no erasing option.
How does making art make you feel?
Making art makes me feel calm and instinctual and primitive and focused and zen. I like how I can be as shitty as I want and just scribble.
What inspires you? Does surfing and skating play into it at all?
I’m really inspired by freaky music, cubism, graffiti + tattoo artists, animals/monsters and nature.
Surfing and skating make me feel inspired and creative and monkey like and satisfied which makes me happy which makes me hyped, especially on cool art I see which makes me want to do art/ think of new designs. Inversely, they make me sleepy and lazy which leads to non productivity.
Any artist recs or interesting things you are into that we should know about?
YOUSUKE YUKOMATSU live set at the Boiler Room Tokyo, he is such a monster, I love him. Also Death Grips for life, specifically “Steroids (Crouching Tiger Hidden Gabber Megamix).”
Favorite place to swim / use your towel?
My favorite place to use my towel in SD is Sunset Cliffs.