In the Mix

The Buzz! —5 May 2021

Design Miami

Design Miami’s biweekly, can't-miss roundup of design world news and inspiration

Welcome to The Buzz, a biweekly roundup of design world news and inspiration for Design Miami’s discerning community of creatives and collectors. Enjoy!

 

For Freedoms’ #AAPISolidarity Billboard Campaign

Designed by artist San Francisco artist Christine Wong Yap, this billboard is installed on Martin Luther King Jr. Drive in Atlanta. Photo © For Freedoms

Artist-led activist organization For Freedoms has launched a nationwide billboard campaign to champion AAPI solidarity. According to For Freedoms, the initiative was developed “not only in response to the rise in anti-Asian violence, but to visualize mutual support with Black, Indigenous, and other communities of color... Our message is solidarity.” An inspiring reminder that May is AAPI month.

 

iThongo by Andile Dyalvane at Friedman Benda

iThongo by Andile Dyalvane at Friedman Benda. Photo © Daniel Kukla; courtesy of Friedman Benda and Andile Dyalvane

Last week, Friedman Benda unveiled iThongo by Andile Dyalvane, the South African artist-maker's second solo show at the New York gallery—presented in collaboration with Cape Town’s Southern Guild. iThongo means “ancestral dreamscape” in Xhosa and refers to the medium through which messages are transmitted from ancestors. The show’s striking collection of ceramic chairs are arranged in a circle around a hearth, echoing the custom of Xhosa ceremonial gatherings.

 

Cristian Andersen at Etage Projects

Macaron Stools by Cristian Andersen, 2020. Photo © Etage Projects

Copenhagen-born, Zurich-based Cristian Andersen has a new show at Etage Projects, in his hometown. In less than a decade, this boundary-blurring talent attracted a strong following with his concrete and mixed-media sculpture, often referencing 20th-century modernist furniture. His latest collection for Etage, though, may be his most functionalist work to date. And the macaron-inspired palette is delightful.

 

Best! Letters from Asian Americans in the Arts

Best! Edited by Christopher K. Ho and Daisy Nam, with Paper Monument, 2021. Courtesy of Christopher K. Ho

This newly published art book features 73 letters, all written by Asian-American creatives in 2020, amid the recent racial reckoning. The form of the letter offers readers intimate insights into the complexities of Asian American experiences, chronicling everyday moments, dreams, rage, politics, and more. Edited by New York artist Christopher K. Ho and curator Daisy Nam, Best! can be purchased through the N+1 Bookstore. But hurry; it’s a limited run.

 

Celebration Spectrum by Tanya Aguiñiga in LA

Celebration Spectrum by Tanya Aguiñiga in collaboration with dublab and Frosty McNeill; installed in LA's Grand Park for the month of May. Photo © Gina Clyne; courtesy of Volume Gallery

For the entire month of May, LA’s Grand Park will host Celebration Spectrum, a multimedia ode to joy, created by artist-maker Tanya Aguiñiga in collaboration with nonprofit radio station dublab and curator Frosty McNeill. The project both honors and reconstitutes the missed celebrations that Angeleno communities missed over this last year because of the pandemic. Through multicultural party decorations, art installations, and performances, Celebration Spectrum invites LA to begin the process of reemerging and healing. We could all use some of this right about now.

 

House in Provence at Magen H Gallery

Sneak peak at House in Provence at Magen H. Photo © Tiphaine Brun-Eppel; courtesy of Magen H Gallery

Tomorrow, New York gallery Magen H will debut House in Provence, an exhibition of historical French furniture and accessories in homage to the iconic Cézanne painting of the same name. The works will be presented in highly curated, still-life-like vignettes—sure to be gorgeous—on view through June 16th.

 

We Change the World at NGV

If I Was White by Vernon Ah Kee, 2002. Photo © the artist and Milani Gallery | Mama No More Diapers Please by Paola Pivi, 2014. Photo Paola Pivi; courtesy of Galerie Perrotin | Will It Ever Work by David Hockney, 2011. Photo © David Hockney

This week, the National Gallery of Victoria in Melbourne is opening We Change the World, a sprawling exhibition that asks the timely question: How can art and design influence change and contribute to a positive future? Works in the show span nearly 100 years, drawn from a unique mix of talents representing both Australia and abroad, including Hoda Afshar, Guerrilla Girls, David Hockney, Alexandra Kehayoglou, Joris Laarman, Rivane Neuenschwander, Pascale Marthine Tayou, and Ai Weiwei.

 

Earth & Fire at Schloss Hollenegg

Ceramic object by Teresa Berger. Photo © Teresa Berger; courtesy of Schloss Hollenegg

On May 15th, our favorite Austrian castle, Schloss Hollenegg for Design, will open Earth & Fire, an exhibition that presents historical and contemporary ceramics in conversation. Curated by Alice Stori Liechtenstein along with Rainald Franz of the MAK Vienna, the show features contemporary pieces drawn from several galleries in our community, including Friedman Benda with Misha Kahn, The Future Perfect with Reinaldo Sanguino, Etage Projects with Karl Monies, and R & Company with Katie Stout.

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