MRKA develops a hand drawn hard court for Felipe Pantones at Casa Axis
The hard court created at Casa Axis emerges from a direct commission by Felipe Pantone to designer MRKA. It forms a setting where gesture, intention, and physical movement converge.
MRKA focused on two fundamental elements: the spontaneous marks that begin any act of artmaking and the clean geometry that defines the surface of tennis.
By drawing the entire layout with the non-dominant hand, the process invited imperfection as a principle rather than a flaw, allowing the finished surface to retain a sense of immediacy once transferred to full scale.
The court stands inside the architecture of Casa Axis with an attitude that is confident yet unforced. Rather than competing with its surroundings, it maintains a presence shaped by loose mark-making and the clarity of the sport’s familiar lines.
Felipe Pantone described it as irreverent and tuned to the spirit of the residency, where experimentation is encouraged and the boundaries between disciplines remain constantly open.
The result reflects a mindset in which the act of play becomes an artistic gesture and the artistic gesture becomes a form of play.
During MRKA’s time at Casa Axis, the environment expanded into what became known as CASA AXIS TENNIS, a parallel world built from simple objects and subtle references.
From the visor to the sweater, the headband to the grip, the shorts to the balls, the project began generating artifacts that feel like remnants of a match that may or may not have happened.
Each item operates more like a trace than a product, accumulating into a quiet mythology surrounding an imagined competition: the Casa Axis International Open. Its timing remains unclear, known only to Felipe Pantone, reinforcing the residency’s preference for open narratives rather than fixed outcomes.
Casa Axis itself, located in a 1975 house in Valencia, functions as both studio and arena. Restored by Pantone to support artistic production, the space is structured around experimentation in visual language, performance, design, and technological research.
The residence welcomes creators who respond to its hybrid character, where objects, spaces, and actions constantly influence one another.
The court by MRKA serves as a focal point within this ecosystem, a surface that encourages movement, interaction, and interpretation while staying aligned with the house’s layered history.
All images courtesy of MRKA
