La guerra in Iran avvicina la Thailandia all’orbita della Russia
dal nostro corrispondente Marco Masciaga
One-of-a-kind pieces to furnish a living room never seen before
They are magical places to find the unexpected. Collectible design galleries are going through a special moment with a generation of curators and curators who also pay attention to the narrative and social content of objects.
In the 1920s, the Chicago Tribune called Eile en Gray's collectible design gallery in Paris - perhaps one of the first in the world with a concept so close to contemporary - "a sojourn into the never seen and the never heard before". This can be read in Gray's biography, signed by Gisella Bassanini and Giovanna Canzi for marinonibooks, with beautiful illustrations by Beppe Giacobbe. The spaces dedicated to unique pieces are magical places where one can find the unexpected; Gray exhibited his lacquer screens in particular, but also the artistic objects of his contemporaries. The handmade has always been considered the true luxury to display in one's home. But the world of collectible is now having its moment and the first symptom was Salone Raritas. Curated icons, unique objects, and outsider pieces, a section dedicated to one-of-a-kind objects. And not at the Fuorisalone, where in the past galleries often displayed their masterpieces, but at the Salone del Mobile that has just ended in Milan, alongside the more classic industrial design brands, effectively sanctioning a sort of dialogue between the design chain and high creative manufacture. This was confirmed by Nicolas Bellavance-Le-compte, co-founder of Nomad, the international event dedicated to the collectible that has its emblematic edition in St. Moritz (the last one was at Villa Beaulieu from 12 to 15 February) and will then land for the first time in the Hamptons from 25 to 28 June and in Abu Dhabi in November (if the world geopolitical situation allows). "It is a market that has grown exponentially over the last six years," he explains to HTSI. "The pandemic has certainly played its part in this: confined within the home we have begun to place more value on the home environment and the objects around us. While industrial design in general has benefited, the market for unique pieces, with fashion acting as a driving force through special projects, limited editions with a deep craftsmanship content, has also been very fortunate thanks to an economic context that has favoured consumption in the luxury area. The consequence is that a vanguard of young curators - and many curators - animated by passion, attentive not only to the commercial aspect or investment potential of each piece, but also to its narrative content, has made its way into the sector. The new gallerists do not necessarily have huge spaces, nor do they only open in big cities, but they know how to create communities everywhere through talks, workshops and special events, they often use digital potential and have been able to give light to an emerging generation of designers, while attracting a new audience of collectors. It is no coincidence that another collectible design fair, the Belgian Collectible, has just inaugurated a section dedicated to emerging designers - it is called Curated - which immediately received rave reviews. So let us begin an exploratory journey among some of the young galleries that, in Italia and elsewhere, are proposing the most innovative formats.
Loading...
CONCEPTUAL IRONY
Among the galleries chosen to inaugurate Raritas at the Salone del Mobile was one in particular that focuses on radical design. It is the brand-new Mouromtsev Design Editions, which does not yet have its own physical headquarters - it was supposed to open soon in Dubai, but given the geopolitical situation has remained digital-only for now - and presents its first collectible collection in Milan, curated by Maria Cristina Didero. "It is the objective of the founder, Efim Mouromtsev, that is interesting in the concept of this gallery: to use design as a tool to confront reality, to propose a reflection on the present," she says. "So we chose Job Smeets, a Belgian artist and designer, who is deeply conceptual. The title of the collection is Soft Parade and explores the theme of softness as a tangible expression of kindness towards others, towards the world". Also interesting is the expressive code used by Job, irony and the play on contradiction. There are six pieces that make it up: a day bed that looks like a feather, very fragile, yet capable of supporting body weight without difficulty; a carpet called Gentle Panther and, if the feline recalls ferocity, the carpet is soft and cosy; an armchair that seems to be made of fire and flames and instead is comfortable and enveloping. There is a table made of a kind of pink chewing gum that emerges from the candy dispensers that support it, a childhood memory of the designer; a coffee table made from the collars of 18th-century servants. And finally, a wheel, one of mankind's greatest inventions, which, instead of serving movement, carries light and becomes a lamp. The prices of the works range from 30,000 to 100,000 euros. "Yes, because each one is made using precious raw materials and very sophisticated craftsmanship," adds Didero, who in his curatorial projects focuses on the man, his storytelling rather than the object, on symbolic expression and manual intelligence rather than form.
A VIRTUOUS TRIANGLE
Loading...
