DESIGN MIAMI BASEL 2024 – All photos by Ivan Erofeev for Design Miami.
Design–Archipanic’s founder and editor-in-chief, Enrico Zilli, selected ten highlights from the 18th edition of Design Miami Basel 2024. The Swiss fair offered a tantalising array of rare and unique displays of collectible design from over 25 exhibitors, including ten debut names across the fair’s gallery, Curio, Design at Large, special projects, and satellite programming.
- RELATED STORIES: Read more about Design Miami Basel on Archipanic.
Friedman Benda, Pulp Galerie, and downtown+ honor late design icon Gaetano Pesce.
Upon entering the Messeplatz entrance hall, guests were welcomed by a selection of key works by the late Gaetano Pesce. A collaborative tribute exhibition presented by Friedman Benda in New York and Los Angeles, as well as Parisian galleries Pulp Galerie and downtown+ featured pieces from the 1970s to the present.
In addition, as part of the Curio exhibition platform, Pulp Galerie presented a showcase featuring Pesce’s early works within a scenography inspired by an Italian garden, including the Pratt chair n°7 and Sick Cabin.
Pulp Galerie.
Founded by Hideki Yoshimoto/TANGENT and curated by Maria Cristina Didero, the Craft x Tech project bridged the gap between traditional craft from Japan’s Tohoku region and contemporary technology. Sabine Marcelis worked with Akita artisans to infuse Kawatsura-Shikki lacquerware with contemporary vitality. Ini Archibong celebrated Tsugaru-Nuri lacquerware with a unique musical device.
Craft x Tech.
Galerie Gastou presented an exhibition juxtaposing Shiro Kuramata’s quiet simplicity with Gaetano Pesce’s Baroque extravagance to create a harmonious dialogue between seemingly opposing styles. The presentation aimed to showcase the spectrum of ways plastic can be used.
Galerie Gastou.
Galerie Mitterrand brought together iconic works by renowned designer couple François-Xavier and Claude Lalanne to celebrate the two sculptural visionaries. The exhibition featured a set of three Oies by François-Xavier Lalanne and a unique Choupatte by Claude Lalanne from the ‘60s, expressing her most virtuous use of the galvanoplasty technique.
Galerie Mitterrand.
Brussels gallery Objects with Narratives debuted at Design Miami Basel with Liquid Solids, a solo exhibition by Ben Storms. The Belgian designer and craftsman is known for embracing fluidity, a concept that flows through his processes and ideas to produce transitional works. Consoles, wall pieces, coffee tables, and room dividers seemed to float on a liquid floor, highlighting a frozen transformation process.
Objects with Narratives.
Within the Curio program, Brussels gallery Spazio Nobile presented an exhibition exploring poetry, calligraphy, and painting with Urushi lacquer or porcelain glaze techniques. Taiwanese designer Pao Hui Kao and Norwegian ceramicist Ann Beate Tempelhaug explored the essence of stoneware porcelain, paper, and lacquer and translated it into abstract ceramic and lacquer paintings, as well as in paper furniture.
Spazio Nobile.
Galerie Kreo explored themes of materiality through the lens of technology. The TRANSFORMERS exhibition by German industrial designer Konstantin Grcic featured ceiling lights, floor lamps, tables, and consoles that reimagined the original purpose of a precision measuring device typically utilised in the automotive industry.
Galerie Kreo.
Thomsen Gallery from New York City focused on Japanese basketry made by great masters of Japanese bamboo art, including Iizuka Rōkansai, Tanabe Chikuunsai, and Maeda Chikubōsai. The exhibition featured masterpieces from the first half of the 20th century through contemporary works by the current bamboo masters.
Thomsen Gallery.
For its Design Miami debut, Lisbon-based studio Mameluca presented an exhibition exploring the intricate tapestry of global civilisations, weaving together parallels between social evolution and geological forces. Highlights include The Castle installation honouring the rich cultural legacy of ancient Portugal and paying homage to their enduring influence and invaluable contributions.
Mameluca at DESIGN MIAMI BASEL 2024 – Photos by Ivan Erofeev for Design Miami.
