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Four Group Shows From Melbourne Design Week Are The Best Of What\’s Happening In Design Right Now
Top: Fossils and fossils, processed by Curtis Bloxsidge; middle: Works on view in the lost profile gallery include a polka-dot lamp by Nicole Lawrence and vases by Martyn Thompson; bottom left: Modern works seen in Stonygrad; bottom right: Table Manners. Photos: Matthew McQuiggan, Tomas Friml, and Sean Fennessy
Sometimes, when people ask what I dig in a design, I freeze. After all, I get asked to review hundreds of pieces of furniture and decor every week, and I follow several thousand designers on Instagram. Without our annual ranking of America\’s top talent, how could I be expected to think about that kind of big, listicle-inspired fashion? However, recently I was tempted to turn my stock to that question: \”Whatever is happening in Australia right now.\” And if the work from the recently concluded Melbourne Design Week is any indication, I don\’t think anyone can argue with me on this one.
Four great group shows arrived in our inboxes (and I\’m sure there are many more we\’re missing.) For Relics & Remains, curated by furniture maker Curtis Bloxsidge, 11 artists contributed works intended to resemble what might be left of the world after a catastrophic disruption (be it natural, political, or cultural) — in other words, things made from the things that make things, glass, glass, human glass. paper, wood, and textiles. (We especially love Taylor Brooks\’ hemp mesh curtain, and Julian Leigh May\’s spiked aluminum cabinet.) At the Lost Profile Gallery, contemporary works like Nicole Lawrence\’s Dot Lamp and Martyn Thompson\’s speckled, wide-mouthed vases sit alongside historic works the gallery has recovered and a new brass pendant. lights.
In the far north, in the historic Warrendyte area, the Material Encounters exhibition played the works of 15 Australian artists and designers within Stonygrad, a magnificent, 1940s, artistic home designed by the modern Russian artist Danila Vassilieff using locally acquired stone and wood. And Table Manners, edited by Object Massive, has integrated a couple of new cutting-edge designers, such as Snelling Studio, Studio Kyss, and Studio Yeodong Yun, featured in an interview with historical pieces from the Kraftsman collection. (I\’d love to see this show to compare it to the upcoming Knife Fork Spoon from Dung Ngo and the Marta Gallery in Copenhagen!) If a group show is the basis for any good design show – and for me, – these four set the standard.
A Residence in a Famous Milanese Area Lets Ben Mazey\’s New Work Shine
In C. Gallery in Melbourne, Ben Mazey presents for the first time the results of his stay in lost wax bronze in Milan, as well as new experiments in blown glass and terracotta. Photos: Simon Strong
Ben Mazey has been experimenting with bright, metallic light as long as we write about him. In his fictional clay plants, he will often use 22K glittering gold on a raku flower panel, or paint platinum lines under the frame of his rectangular ribbons. But in March of this year, Mazey was given the opportunity to explore metal dictionaries on a deeper level: She spent a few weeks at Fonderia Battaglia, a famous Milanese bronze center that looks at everything from Katie Stout credenzas to Duomo\’s doors. The results of that residential building – along with new works including ceramics and windmills, the first for an Australian-based artist – were released earlier this month in C. Gallery in Melbourne, the fourth exhibition of Mazey with gallery.
Many show-stopping works from Mazey\’s time at the site are lanky totems — one a chain of linked O\’s, the other a bunch of brass squares — with different personalities: One side is polished to a high shine while the other is decorated in hues ranging from rose to cobalt. (The warm golden brass tone, Mazey jokes, matches his gold tooth; after all, he says, \”all art is self-portraiture.\”) But those aren\’t the only experimental or prominent works on view. On the slope of his semi-viral site from last year, Mazey pulls out a full curtain, full of valences and ties; blown glass pendant lights that look like trumpet lilies pass through an extruder; and a series of tiles with the exhibit\’s title: \”If You Can\’t See This, You Might Be Dead or Not Here.\” As well as new experiments in terracotta and his usual range of glazed raku stoneware flags. (Can someone from Australia please bring me this pink striped and rusty mirror?) It will be on view until July 16th.
Wake Up, My Child, New Condition Hand Soap Has Been Released
Hand-shaped accessories and decoration to remind you how good you smell after using Nécessaire Hand Wash and Hand Lotion Duo
Scrolling through Threads one day, a question very much aligned with my interests stopped me on my way: “Do you know that many people have store hand soap, and then the first level of Aesop soap…. what is the next stage of hand washing after that?“ People would take it out of the comments, complimenting everything from Ms. Meyers goes to Loewe, but I could offer another, more recent entry into the market: The new hand wash duo and hand lotion made by Nécessaire smells like sandalwood and black pepper, comes in the shape of a chic bottle, and, in my estimation, a new hand soap of a shape we can beat. I\’ve been using it since the beginning of New York\’s design month, and I couldn\’t be happier. To further advance the idea that once you start using this, you\’ll be more concerned about your hands, we\’ve created a hand-y shopping guide for you to read.
1. Surrealist \’70s Armchair, $4,500, 1stdibs.com
2. Isithombe sesandla seTerracotta, $750, thewindowla.com
3. Hand-blown glass vase by Luke Baldwin, $200, etsy.com
4. Ibhroshi enkulu yesiliva ye-Dalí ka-Agmes, $830, agmesnyc.com
5. Isikhwama sesandla seMesh kaGrace Ling, $590, gracelingofficial.com
6. A Carl Aubock book holder, $960, mociun.com
7. Ithoyizi yesandla kaJohn Sohn, $250, sohnjohn.com
8. I-Alberto Rack kaHermann Becker, intengo ngesicelo, jacquelinesullivangallery.com
9. Vintage handmade books, $87, etsy.com
10. Isigwedlo sobuciko besintu sakudala, $95, etsy.com
11. Out of Shape wall light ka-Ia Kutateladze, $2,613, oblist.com
12. I-Hand Wash + Hand Lotion Duo ka-Nécessaire, $100, necessaire.com
This Parisian apartment building used to be Camille Pissaro\’s Studio. Now, Its Color Palette Can Inspire Every Artist\’s World
Martin Massé\’s renovation of a 15th arrondissement duplex in Paris uses a strong palette of greens, pinks, reds, and yellows. Photos: Yannick Labrousse
Some of the ideas cited in Martin Masse\’s revival of this Paris duplex, built in a 20th-century building designed by architect Pierre Patout, include Le Corbusier\’s color theory and Wes Anderson\’s 2007 short film.Ihhotela Chevaliermodernist painter Serge Poliakoff, and French Art Deco furniture designer Eugene Printz. It\’s easy to see these references in retrospect but impossible to see at first, which is always a sign of successful design in my book; respect without repetition. But another sign of a successful renovation is how attractive this interior is despite some really odd touches. In the library, there is a circular bench by Hermann Becker with metal rods protruding from its center; in the bathroom, Roger Tallon\’s chair is made of the kind of egg crate foam that lines the bunks of a sleeping camp. In another life, the flat was an artists\’ studio, used by the likes of Camille Pissaro, and the homeowner apparently wanted to retain both the atelier feel of the space and its nod to modern art. The color palette alone can inspire a whole series of paintings: reds and greens that do not read Christmas in any way, and a beautiful toned kitchen with an island made of green Corian and a wave-like partition between the dining room and the stairs.
Editor\’s List
CLOCKWISE, FROM TOP LEFT:
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I missed Milanese studio Redduo\’s presentation in Milan but maybe if I had gone, I would have seen that the interior designers also had a furniture and tableware line that included everything from a glossy cherry coffee table to this incredibly sweet butter yellow mug. It is flat on one side just in case you, like me, want to display it on a small shelf in your kitchen!
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In our roundup of New York design month, we mentioned our enjoyment of the Placed exhibit, curated by Coryander Friend, but one piece I really liked was Dotan Appelbaum\’s William Morris-inspired floral chair. From a distance it looks hand painted. but it is actually made using marquetry, each piece is made of natural and dyed vegetables. I love how marquetry has become such a thing among young designers – is it time to mix it up a bit?
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On view at the Footnote Gallery in Ghent, in an exhibition curated by Sofie Middernacht, is this magnificent cabinet by Victor Verhelst and Niels Raoul Boone. The folded, carved aluminum surface is meant to resemble a quilt, and there\’s something a little Stave Cabinet about it. We love transcontinental synergy.
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Remember the goose from our TikTok home tour with Ryan Belli? Well, the goose – or perhaps its duck brothers – appears again in Belli\’s new piece for the Los Angeles designer\’s latest show at Marta\’s gallery, Of Two Minds. On one side of the cherry cabinet is a waterfowl, painted in acrylic on the inset panel; on the contrary, there is another bronze cast. The cabinet is a collaboration with Belli\’s wife, Calley Benoit. (And yes, I forgot we showed this show last week, so blame me! I love it.)
Izindaba
On display at St Vincents in Antwerp is Marta Mei van Haaster\’s furniture line made from hemp plant stems used in chemical processing. Photos: Alexander Popelier
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It\’s that time of year when Ofisine Saffi, a Milan-based non-profit organization for contemporary ceramics, opens applications for its prize program, which includes a large cash prize and the opportunity to participate in one of six residencies in places like Portugal, Switzerland, or Norway. The entry period ends on June 26, and the rules – including a description of this year\’s theme, Life Forms – can be found here.
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Speaking of residences, on view at St Vincents in Antwerp is a solo exhibition by Marte Mei van Haaster, who spent several weeks in the Netherlands examining the effects of chemical plant pollution nearby and a possible solution: phytoremediation, a process where plants are used to absorb environmental pollution. The furniture in his collection is made from hemp plant stems that were used to remove PFAS, a permanent chemical, from the soil (although the pieces themselves are non-toxic). His tables, shelves, benches, mirrors, and tiles have a grainy, wine-infused beauty that makes them not only environmentally friendly but also beautiful. It will be on view until August 21.
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One of my favorite jewelers, Los Angeles-based studio A History of Frogs, recently launched a new website and released a new collection featuring rings, earrings, and a few items from a personal favorite category: brooches. If I were to buy something for myselfusuku lokuzalwa ngenyanga ezayomaybe I\’d go for this silver-and-pearl number, which AHOF describes as both \”a glittering crown and a silly hat.\” Gemini consists of masses.
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If you\’re in Copenhagen for 3Days of Design next month, I\’ll be doing another panel on Thursday June 11, talking about Book As Object as part of the Shown/Shown exhibition curated by Rhya Johnston-Wallace at Simone Book Services. Please come if you are in town!