Art, Design – Until December 4, world-leading international galleries and luxury brands join Design Miami 2022. The fair takes place in Pride Park, opposite the Miami Beach Convention Center. Check the five macro-trends tuning with this year’s overarching theme: The Golden Age: Rooted in the Past.
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The Golden Age refers to an idealized bygone era of abundance in popular cultures across time and space upon which we constantly imagine utopian futures rooted in the past. Design Miami “is always full of energy and optimism for the future. At a time when human beings are challenged in unprecedented ways, I hope this theme will offer a source of inspiration to imagine and shape a brighter future for humans and our planet.” Said Maria Cristina Didero, Curatorial Director of Design Miami.
ANCIENT FOLKLORE REIMAGINED
Responding to The Golden Age theme, many galleries celebrate the diverse histories of craft and tradition that continue to shape our shared future. Cape Town gallery Southern Guild returns to Design Miami 2022 with a bold exhibition of furniture and functional sculpture, elevating every day towards the divine. Guided by a deep spiritual connection to his Xhosa ancestors, Andile Dyalvane presents the iNgqweji ceramic series inspired by nests of sociable weaver birds.
For Jason Jacques Gallery, Paris, Finnish artist Kim Simonsson reimagined his famed Moss People as five-meter-tall monumental Moss Giants. In Finnish folklore, Moss people are mythological wanderers from the Nordic forests, weaving a narrative that oscillates between the real world and the supernatural.
New York gallery Atelier Courbet presents sculptural wall pieces by French designer Noé Duchaufour-Lawrance with Maison Intègre that pay homage to the expressive nature of the West African ritual mask present. Each sconce is hand molded, cast from recycled bronze, and finished with a black patina.
RETHINKING MATERIALS FROM THE PAST FOR THE FUTURE
London-based Sarah Myerscough Gallery presents museum-quality functional design and art objects championing innovative, sustainable, and restorative design practices. Angela Damman hand-crafted raw henequén fibre to create a plush chandelier, while Christopher Kurtz’s hand-carved Tulipwood cabinet explores linenfold forms hand-crafted from Tulipwood.
Carpenters Workshop Gallery focuses on the conjunction of raw material and process. Concrete, resin, metal, ceramic, and stone are the main ingredients of new responsible works by Martin Laforêt, Niko Koronis, and Rick Owen.
DIGITAL UTOPIAS
The Golden Age theme sparks a consideration for innovation and technology. Milanese gallery Nilufar presents the eclectic work of Audrey Large, who blurs the liminal space between present and future. The French designer created a collection of 3D-printed sculptures exploring the relationship between both our virtual and physical worlds. Each design offers a fluid silhouette with iridescent purple surfaces and a liquid-looking texture that resembles molten lava.
Audi presents a new immersive and experiential digital installation in cooperation with digital artist and designer Andrés Reisinger. Inspired by the Audi’ grandsphere’ concept, the exhibition offers an outlook on the future of the company’s high-tech and premium mobility. The Row exhibition – not at Design Miami – brings Metaverse real estate architectures by Daniel Arsham, Misha Khan, and others to the physical realm. Read more.
DESIGN GOLDEN AGES
From Palm Springs to Rio de Janeiro, design had its Golden Ages too. Looking to the recent past, Galerie Patrick Seguin, Paris, presents a thoughtful selection of 20th-century furniture from a number of its celebrated designers, such as Charlotte Perriand and Pierre Jeanneret.
Mercado Moderno, Rio de Janeiro, presents original pieces by iconic Brazilian designers, including Jorge Zalszupin’s 1960s Andorinha Coffee Table, inspired by Japanese origami. The same mission for Diletante42, Sao Paulo, that debuts in Miami with works by s Sergio Rodrigues and José Zanina Caldas.
At the same time, the John Keith Russell gallery from South Salem, NY, pays homage to the material culture of Shakers – designs synonymous with utilitarian American craft and design.
Chicago gallery CONVERSO showcases custom-made designs from the 1960s Palm Springs Design Movement – where designers broke free from the monochromatic, austere character of 1950s designs.
A ‘NEW’ CALL OF THE WILD
Timeless landscapes, crafted raw materials, flora, and fauna-inspired furniture designs and art pieces. New York and Los Angeles gallery Hostler Burrows specialises in 20th Century and contemporary Nordic Design. At the centre of the exhibition is the icy Fluid Chair by Egeværk, inspired by the sea and the sky of Nordic landscapes.
Galerie BSL, Paris, debuts at Design Miami 2022 with The Power of Biomorphism, an exhibition concept that proposes to explore new frontiers in the ability of objects to express life forms. The Planted Air installation by Paris-based artist, architect, and designer Garance Vallée for Maison Perrier Jouët reinterprets the ecosystem of the Champagne vineyard in which visitors are invited to follow a path through a series of sculpted vines.
The Future Perfect, New York, invited its artist to push their boundaries in scale and material while questioning What is a wonderful world? On show are new and exclusive works exhibiting a sense of peace, optimism, and harmony. “Like a garden, the presentation encourages imaginative blossoming, considering our shared future with the natural world.”
All photos by ©James Harris, courtesy of Design Miami 2022.