A piece that turns a board game into a fusion of jewelry and handbag debuts at Art Miami 2025

When I played my first game of backgammon around this time last year, it was love at first move. The mix of logic and speed, with a touch of luck, makes it irresistibly thrilling, especially when a quick or poorly calculated move is saved at the last moment by a lucky roll that completely turns the game around. If you are both competitive and drawn to aesthetics, the board you play on probably matters to you as well. The refined, traditionally designed ones usually carry a vintage feel and feature carved wooden motifs that make them unique, like a beautiful collectible that everyone admires when you leave it on the table until the next game.

But Bangkok based artist Taras Yoom has taken the idea of a board game as a collectible object to an entirely new level. In collaboration with entrepreneur, collector and art patron Aureta Thomollari, he has launched Another Kingdom: Game of Light, a limited edition backgammon set. Yoom, a multidisciplinary artist and creator of Yoomoote, a universe that blends art and design, created Another Kingdom: Game of Light at the intersection of multiple disciplines. The popular board game, redefined as a luxury clutch, has been transformed into a wearable art piece that merges play, design, craftsmanship and fashion statement. Its premiere is scheduled for Art Miami 2025 at the Yoomoote booth (AM209) from 2 to 7 December.

After capturing the attention of the design world in 2023 with his maximalist Another Kingdom: Light Stage chess set, Taras Yoom has now poured his love of collectible design and board games into a unique backgammon set. The edition comprises 21 sets housed in handcrafted leather and alcantara cases with paracord straps, adorned with crystals and details made of silver, brass and glass that turn these pieces into true art objects.

The backgammon board itself combines silver, brass, wood, steel, glass and acrylic, while the checkers are embellished with lab grown rubies, each placed beneath a glass lens that refracts light and creates constantly shifting optical effects. The making of the set brings together jeweler level precision with both traditional and contemporary techniques, including 3D printing, casting, hand finishing, marquetry, leather and fabric wrapping, paracord weaving and acrylic painting. Every set is handcrafted and equipped with an NFC chip, a digital certificate that verifies its authenticity and ownership.

Just as light reveals all colors and makes them visible, this backgammon set reflects the visual language Aureta and I share, a dedication to bold tones and unexpected harmonies that emerge through their interplay. The result is a multilayered work with its own philosophy: it is both a precious game and a fashion accessory for extraordinary stylistic choices, capturing the essence of light that brings endless variations into our lives, says Taras Yoom, who was inspired by the symbolism and dynamics of the game in collaboration with Aureta Thomollari. This partnership brought together play, light and craftsmanship into something that feels both intimate and meaningful. I grew up with backgammon, and turning that game into a wearable art piece felt like returning to a memory and reshaping it into something new and alive. Working with Taras was pure creative joy, our worlds met in color, boldness and imagination, concludes Aureta Thomollari.

The limited edition backgammon set, part of the Yoomoote x Aureta collaboration, Another Kingdom: Game of Light, is priced at 20,000 USD and available to order online.