ANOTHER KINGDOM || Taras Yoom’s Backgammon Set Transforms Play into Sculpture
Is it a game, or is it a sculpture? With Taras Yoom, the answer is both.
The Bangkok-based artist, celebrated for his biomorphic surrealism, introduces Another Kingdom, a limited-edition backgammon set that bridges the realms of collectible art and design. Following his acclaimed chess series, this debut in the Yoomoota gaming line transforms a familiar pastime into an allegorical object of beauty and play.
The hinged design opens to reveal a vivid, surrealist board, where handcrafted checkers and gold-detailed dice await their players. © Yoomoota
The design draws the eye before the dice are ever rolled. A sculptural metal stand elevates the set into a freestanding artwork, while the board itself, with its vivid, surrealist palette, becomes a stage for fate. Inside, the handcrafted checkers, bright with whimsical detail, appear less as mere pieces than as miniature sculptures, each imbued with personality and narrative. Even the dice, flecked with gold, carry the sense of preciousness that underlines Yoom’s artistic universe.
The backgammon set becomes an interior statement piece, carried by its sculptural stand. © Yoomoota
Craftsmanship lies at the heart of Another Kingdom. Each of the 21 sets is produced through a hybrid of innovation and tradition: 3D-printed forms, silicone moulding, and meticulous hand-painting converge to create a work that feels both futuristic and timeless. Embedded within each set is an NFC chip, a digital certificate of authenticity, securing provenance for collectors who straddle the worlds of physical and digital ownership.
Checker pieces, rendered in saturated tones of violet and yellow, embody Yoom’s biomorphic surrealism in miniature form. © Yoomoota
Gold-flecked dice transform chance into a jewel-like moment of fate. © Yoomoota
Yet beyond its collectible status, the set resonates with metaphor. Backgammon, one of the oldest known games, becomes here a meditation on human existence, where logic and strategy are tested against the unpredictability of chance. The ball marks that pattern the lid suggest randomness itself, while the unfolding of play echoes life’s continual flux between order and chaos.
Priced at $17,000 and limited to just 21 editions, Another Kingdom will premiere at PAD London 2025 this October. More than a board game, it is a sculptural allegory—a reminder that, in art, as in life, beauty lies not only in the outcome but in the act of play itself.
