In the Mix

The Buzz! —9-28-2021

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!

 

Evident: Expression and Meaning by Wexler Gallery

Evident, featuring works by Trish DeMasi, Edward McHugh, and Reynold Rodriguez. Photo © Wexler Gallery

Wexler Gallery in New York is currently presenting an exhibition of new work by Trish DeMasi, Edward McHugh, and Reynold Rodríguez in conjunction with What’s New What’s Next at the New York Design Center. Titled Evident: Expression and Meaning, the show features objects that demand a second look, reflecting on “how what seems obvious at first glance contains deeper meaning that imbues the work beyond the initial impression.” The presentation includes DeMasi’s abstract ceramic sculptures; McHugh’s print collage constructions; and Rodríguez's playful furniture and lighting. On view now through the end of October.

 

Anni and Josef Albers at Musée d'Art Moderne de Paris

Collier by Anni Albers & Alexander Reed, c. 1940. Homage to the Square: Guarded by Josef Albers, 1952. The Josef and Anni Albers Foundation © 2021 The Josef and Anni Albers Foundation/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York/ADAGP, Paris 2021

Now showing: The Musée d'Art Moderne de Paris presents Anni and Josef Albers: Art and Life, an exhibition exploring the legendary creative couple’s careers as both artists and educators, featuring over 350 works across textiles, furniture, paintings, photographs, and more. Placing special emphasis on the duo’s conviction that creation is at the core of self-education, the show spans their time at the Bauhaus and Black Mountain College, as well as Anni’s Pictorial Weavings, and Josef’s Homages to the Square. One room is also dedicated to the pair’s roles as educators, because, as the organizers note, “Not only did they create an oeuvre now considered the basis of modernism, they also passed on their educative values to a whole new generation of artists.”  On view now through January 2022.

 

"We learn courage from art work. We have to go where no one was before us." —Anni Albers
"Learn to see and to feel life; that is, cultivate imagination, because there are still marvels in the world, because life is a mystery and always will be. But be aware of it." —Josef Albers

 

Jonathan Muecke at Volume Gallery

New work from Jonathan Muecke at Volume Gallery. Photo © Volume Gallery

Chicago’s Volume Gallery is currently hosting an exhibition of new work by Saint Paul-based designer Jonathan Muecke. Known for elegant forms that are hyper-specific in scale and material, Muecke has expanded his visual vocabulary with this show, creating shapes without clear precedent but instantly intriguing. The show is on view through October 30th.

 

Together at Gallery FUMI

 

Together: The Power of Collaboration is open now at Gallery FUMI in London. Earlier this year, the gallery’s cofounders Sam Pratt and Valerio Capo invited 25 designers from their talented roster to join forces on a series of fresh collaborative works. From a six-foot-high carved wooden sculpture slash lamp painted with references to the human body to a cabinet of curiosities in Finnish wood and woven Japanese paper, the resulting works celebrate “what happens when creatives collide, even if the collision occurs across thousands of miles and by digital means.” Participating designers include the likes of Max Lamb and Study O Portable; Glithero and JAMESPLUMB, Tina Roeder and Francesco Perini, Emma Witter and Shinta Nakajima, and more. Describing the exhibition, designer Emma Witter observes, “It is clever and timely, and it shows how the gallery functions like a family.” The show runs through November 12th.

 

Majolica Mania at Bard Graduate Center

Shell Ware from Griffen, Smith & Co, 1879-90. Photo © Bruce M White; courtesy of Bard Graduate Center

New York City’s Bard Graduate Center just opened Majolica Mania: Transatlantic Pottery in England and the US, 1850-1915, the largest exhibition ever to focus on this significant but somewhat forgotten 19th-century innovation in ceramics. Majolica in its heyday was a widespread, popular medium for tableware, furniture, and architectural decoration, but with the rise of modernism in the 20th century it fell out of favor. On view through January 2, 2022, the exhibition showcases majolica’s rich diversity of applications in the Victorian era—from the practical to the whimsical.  A comprehensive catalog and a delightful film, available on the BGC website, accompany the show. You can always count on the BGC to offer masterclasses in overlooked design history.

 

Ini Archibong at Friedman Benda

Obelisk Black and Dark Venus by Ini Archibong. Courtesy of Friedman Benda and Ini Archibong. Photo by Andreas Zimmermann; courtesy of Friedman Benda and Ini Archibong

Next week, Friedman Benda in New York opens Hierophany, designer Ini Archibong’s first solo gallery exhibition and the first time this body of work will be on public view. Known for his philosophical approach, the California-born, Switzerland-based designer’s new pieces are framed as physical reflections of his life experiences, including his fascination with global culture, mathematics, mythology, and world religions, alongside his passion for his own Nigerian ancestry. The exhibition runs through November 2nd.

 

“An object should communicate an idea to the people coming in contact with it. It’s a three-dimensional standing piece of poetry.” —Ini Archibong

 

Verner Panton at R & Company

Iconic designs by design legend Verner Panton. Photo © Joe Kramm; courtesy of R & Company

On October 5th, R & Company in New York will open Verner Panton, an immersive exhibition celebrating the enduring influence and incredible imagination of the iconic 20th-century Danish designer. The show will feature more than a dozen examples of the designer’s hanging and wall-mounted lamps, all contextualized within an environment of Panton textiles and carpets, several iterations of his pioneering S chair, and a rare sofa made as part of a series for Thonet. Open through January 8th, it's sure to be a feast for the eyes.

 

The main purpose of my work is to provoke people into using their imagination and make their surroundings more exciting. —Verner Panton

 

A New Design Mentorship Program!

Promotion for FDC's new Mentor Match Program. Screen shot features photo © Angela Hau

The Female Design Council and Sight Unseen have just launched the new online FDC Mentor Match program, intended to pair design and architecture professionals with students aged 18 and above who wish to learn more about a career in these creative fields. The program is free and open to all aspiring designers, architects, and curators from all backgrounds. Sign up to be a menteementor, or educator affiliate, and support the next generation!

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