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

Seven Stories about Mirrors by Front at Galerie kreo

In its last month at Paris’ Galerie kreo: Seven Stories about Mirrors, a new project from Swedish design studio Front that investigates and responds  to the history of mirrors, their place in human society, and the array of materials that are used to create them. The show includes seven new mirrored designs from Front, including furniture, vessels, and wall-mounted looking glasses.

“From the first stone mirror made 8,000 years ago, the history of mirrors has been laced with magic and poetry, luxury and vanity, myth and faith, medieval industrial espionage and modern psychology, craft and technological advances, culture and self-consciousness.” —Front

Rediscovering Paul Hultberg at Moderne Gallery

Currently at Moderne Gallery in Philadelphia: Rediscovering Paul Hultberg (1926-2019): Abstract Expressionism in Enamel. According to the gallery, the exhibition  tells the underappreciated story, “not only of Hultberg’s career in enamel but also his incredible legacy as a seminal figure in the abstract expressionist movement in America.” On view until late September, this important retrospective is the first project to take full advantage of Moderne’s gorgeous, new gallery space since it moved in back in late 2019.

Eun-Ha Paek at Hostler Burrows

On view now at Hostler Burrows’ LA gallery: new work by Korean-born, New York-based multi-disciplinary artist Eun-Ha Paek. The enchanting collection of ceramic sculptures explores Paek’s fascination with “how seemingly banal objects can evoke profound feeling and reaction.” The exhibition runs through August 26th. Also of note, Hostler Burrows has extended its highly successful New York gallery show, Bend, Bubble and Shine: Copenhagen Ceramics, through the end of the summer.

Hialeah Eléctrica–Metavector at The Bass Museum

Miami Beach’s Bass Museum has recently opened Hialeah Eléctrica–Metavector, a site-specific installation of collaborative works by artists Rafael Domenech and Ernesto Oroza. Drawing on their shared interests in architecture, urban planning, and adaptive design fabrication—as well as their mutual histories as Cuban émigrés to Miami—the artists rework quotidian materials like vinyl and drywall (often found or repurposed), along with photos, newspaper, and typographical ephemera from their archive, to produces case studies in compositional constructions. The show runs through October 10th.

“Instead of using the exhibition to show results, we want to use the exhibition as a tool to produce research; this process is open to develop pedagogical and participatory protocols with our collaborators.” —Rafael Domenech and Ernesto Oroza

With Eyes Opened: Cranbrook Academy of Art Since 1932

Among the most influential art schools in America, Cranbrook Academy of Art has recently launched an epic book and retrospective exhibition, which together chronicle the institution’s stellar alumni over the last 90 years. Think Charles and Ray Eames, Duane Hanson, Chris Schanck, Nick Cave, Artis Lane, and Ebitenyefa Baralaye. The result of a four-year research project, the show features more than 275 works by more than 220 artists across the academy’s programs of study—architecture, ceramics, design, fiber, metals, painting, photography, printmaking, and sculpture.

Spot On: Women Designers in the Collection at Vitra Schaudepot

A few weeks ago, the Schaudepot outpost of Vitra Design Museum opened Spot On: Women Designers in the Collection. On view until May 2022, the show presents new collection acquisitions from contemporary designers like Inga Sempé, Matali Crasset, and Gunjan Gupta alongside historical objects from the archives, including pieces that document the legendary collaboration between Ray and Charles Eames.

“As museums are part of our cultural memory, they have a responsibility to critically question how history has been written through their own collecting activities. This is why museums need to ensure greater visibility of women designers in their own formats.” —Susanne Graner & Nina Steinmüller, Vitra Design Museum

Ridiculous Sublime at SFA Advisory

SFA Advisory, Lisa Schiff’s Tribeca outpost, just opened its inaugural summer selling exhibition, Ridiculous Sublime. Featuring 50 international artists and designers, the exhibition brings together a variety of works that depict the natural world as mystical, ominous, and sublime. Galleries that contributed works include Caterina Tognon, Cristina Grajales, David Zwirner, Friedman Benda, Jason Jacques, Marianne Boesky, Patrick Parrish, Nina Johnson, Scene Ouverte, Simard Bilodeau, Wilding Cran Gallery, and more.

“There is only one step from the sublime to the ridiculous.” —Napoleon Bonaparte

“Bonaparte’s Ridiculous Sublime as quoted above is the most apt way to categorize our current human condition.” —Lisa Schiff, SFA Advisory

Interior Design: The Legends by Daniella Ohad

Curious to know more about internationally influential interior design talents? Then you should definitely sign up for Interior Design: The Legends, a virtual talks program hosted by design historian Daniella Ohad in collaboration with AIA New York. Interviewees will include India Mahdavi, Pierre Yovanovitch, Jacques Grange, and more. Interior Design: The Legends will run once a week between October and December, but the early-bird price—10% off—is available only until August 1st. Register here.