Riverbed Collective
Celebrating artists, their unique styles, and their shared stories.
Our vision
Our values
Community and energy
After applications open around June of each year, we select artists and create together. In Team Riverbed’s humble opinion, the energy we share is magical. It doesn’t matter whether you’re a professional artist, art student, or simply someone who does art on the side. We get to brainstorm and bounce ideas off each other, ask for help (or just company) when we’re stuck, and celebrate when we’ve made something we’re proud of. Also, we like to think that the magic we build extends beyond the duration of each project.
Embracing the clash
We intentionally choose a wide range of artists whose styles, when put side-by-side, might be seen as jarring. However, we feel that the aesthetic and thematic diversity brings a certain spark to our projects, instead of having one unified ‘voice’. The variety of ‘voices’, so to speak, reflect the diverse stories that each artist brings. Combined with the previous point regarding community, it means we don’t curate final works to fit a certain tone. We pick people, not pieces.
Ethics and transparency
We want to be ethical and transparent with business practices, but everyone says that these days. Instead of waffling, we’ll let Erin (our Operations Director) explain one of the decisions made regarding Mint Condition.
‘I’m sure you’ve seen “Made in China” on clothing labels, toys, and board games, right? Although it’s not necessary from a regulations standpoint, we made the deliberate choice to print our manufacturer’s name on every single Mint Condition box. There’s a few reasons behind this, all going back to transparency.
Firstly, mentioning our manufacturer by name allows you to hold us accountable. If labour practices aren’t ethical, and if raw materials and production processes aren’t environmentally friendly, you’ll know.
Conversely, this also means we get to promote and celebrate our manufacturer’s commitment to human rights and sustainability, which they demonstrate through methods including: BSCI compliance, ISO9001, and sustainability or safety certifications like the FSC and CE.
It also increases accessibility. My hope is that, with this choice, the intimidating process of finding someone to print your work is made more transparent and slightly less scary, especially for emerging artists.
TL;DR: Printing our manufacturer’s name on each box decreases barriers to entry, lets you keep us in check, and indirectly makes sure the people printing our art aren’t merely not exploited, but are taken care of. “Made in China” simply doesn’t cut it.
Mint Condition was printed by Dongguan KK Technology Co., LTD, by the way!’
(We’re hugely impressed if you’ve read all of that. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts.)
Meet Team Riverbed!
Akko Donà (belfaunn)
Co-Founder & Artistic Director | he/him
Akko is a Milan-born, France-based illustrator who weaves the history of art and religion into his work. He deeply enjoys using symbolism to create complexity with each piece. Since the conclusion of his BFA at École Émile Cohl, he’s been experimenting with ceramics and everything tactile. He can usually be found quietly sitting in a museum or sketching passersby on the street.
Erin Chung (ELEVERSE)
Co-Founder & Operations Director | she/her
Erin thinks of herself as Doctor Frankenstein—she has a vision, then brings it to life—but hopes her creations are more societally beneficial than Frankenstein’s. Her operational and creative experience spans across multiple fields, including educational theatre and cosmetic chemistry. She was born in Hong Kong, currently spends her time sketching on Naarm’s (Melbourne’s) trams, and is always searching for ways to do better.