8 Collectible Design Shows to See in November
From a precocious Polish jewelry-maker’s exquisite stone furnishings to a Bahamian ceramist’s dazzling reinterpretation of traditional palm-leaf weaving
November brings a flurry of activity to the collectible design calendar, with Salon Art+Design and Collectible drawing an international roster of galleries and makers to New York. Yet the fervor reaches well beyond Manhattan, as compelling exhibitions from Paris to Philadelphia offer fresh perspectives on material experimentation and the expressive possibilities of craft. With Miami Art Week and the holiday season fast approaching, the coming weeks present a final opportunity to discover exceptional works before the years draw to a close. Here, we highlight more exhibitions worth seeking out this month.
“Nick Missel: Objects in Mirror Are Closer Than They Appear” at Wexler Gallery | Philadelphia
In his first solo exhibition at Wexler Gallery, Philadelphia artist Nick Missel transforms industrial materials into extraordinary works that challenge perceptions of everyday objects. Taking its title from the warning etched onto car side-view mirrors, the show unites new aluminum-and-resin paintings with fantastical furniture from his REM and Alumation collections. Missel approaches his practice as a kind of cultural archaeology, cutting apart, compressing, and reconstructing discarded radiators, scrap metal, and foam until they assume startling new identities. In his vibrant paintings, fragments of aluminum radiators float within translucent resin, yielding intricate compositions that shimmer in electric blues, fiery reds, and iridescent purples. His furniture ventures into equally surreal territory, from undulating benches with metallic finishes and spiky supports to vividly colored foam stools whose rippling surfaces evoke geological strata.
Until December 23
“Daniel Kolodziejczak: Tesserae” at Ateliers Courbet | New York
Drawing inspiration from the ancient mosaics of Pompeii and the fractured perspectives of Cubism, Polish artist Daniel Kolodziejczak transforms discarded stone into exquisite furnishings and vessels in his debut stateside solo exhibition at Ateliers Courbet. His Tesserae series comprises four vessels, a high console, and a side table, alongside a chandelier and two sconces that illuminate the translucent qualities of quartz and crystal. Each piece incorporates reclaimed fragments from stone quarried in India, Italy, and Brazil, which Kolodziejczak painstakingly carves by hand before assembling them into intricate geometric assemblages. The artist honed his meticulous approach during eight years devoted to jewelry-making, developing an intimate understanding of precious minerals and metalsmithing that now informs his larger creations. Conceived in Naples, the collection draws on the city’s classical Greek and Roman heritage, with influences from Diego Giacometti, Albert Cheuret, and Georges Braque. Hand-cast bronze accoutrements introduce graceful curves amid the irregular stone surfaces, lending each work the character of an ancient mosaic reimagined as a jewel for the home.
Until January 16, 2027
“Santa Gaïa Pilens & Inderjeet Sandhu: What Remains” at æquō | Paris
Inaugurating Mumbai-based gallery æquō’s new Paris address, “What Remains” brings together two artists who transform humble materials into evocative expressions of cultural heritage. Venice-based Santa Gaïa Pilens presents textile murals inspired by ancient mythology and Latvian folk traditions, with figures and fantastical creatures surfacing from raw linen that she distresses with shellac and pressure from behind. Describing these works as “contemporary mummies,” she also introduces intricate embroidery crafted with Mumbai artisans. Dutch-Indian artist Inderjeet Sandhu, meanwhile, explores India’s centuries-old mother-of-pearl craftsmanship through his Tidal Fragments. Gathering shells that ocean tides have broken and polished, he assembles their pearlescent fragments into vessels with irregular contours and jagged edges.
Until December 24
“Commune Shows: Marina Contro and Noah Cohen” at Blunk Space | Point Reyes Station, CA
The third installment of Commune Shows celebrates the domestic intimacy of JB Blunk’s artistic legacy through salvaged wood furniture by Los Angeles maker Noah Cohen and handwoven textiles by San Francisco artist Marina Contro. Inspired by visits to Blunk’s remarkable home in Inverness, the pair reimagines the dressing room through an exquisite ensemble of furnishings and textiles. Cohen allows the natural grain of reclaimed wood to guide his creations, from a compact wardrobe clad in flamboyant eucalyptus veneer to furnishings that showcase the coastal hues of Paradox walnut. Contro, meanwhile, worked on antique looms to produce six hand-felted blankets and nine minimalist textile paintings, each bearing the subtle irregularities of her touch. Both celebrate Blunk’s conviction that art belongs within the fabric of everyday life.
Until January 2, 2027
“Anne Holtrop: Low-Relief” at Carpenters | London
Dutch architect Anne Holtrop explores the expressive possibilities of glass in his inaugural outing at Carpenters, in which he presents three extraordinary tables that capture the material’s transformation from molten liquid to crystalline solid. Working between the Netherlands and Bahrain, Holtrop employs an ancient glassmaking technique that involves pouring molten glass into graphite molds, which bear impressions of sand reliefs inspired by ancient stone carvings he encountered in Aswan, Egypt. As the glass cools, it develops irregular, translucent textures that refract light into shimmering prisms and intricate shadows. Each table comprises sizable glass panes that lean against one another in an ingenious feat of balance, requiring no joinery. Their rippling surfaces preserve the impressions of their creation and reveal the remarkable beauty of glass in its most elemental state.
Until December 19
“Anina Major: Lasting Radiance” at The Future Perfect | New York
Fresh off a major solo exhibition at Pérez Art Museum Miami, Bahamian artist Anina Major brings her distinctive woven ceramics into the domestic realm with her New York solo debut. Drawing on the palm-leaf plaiting techniques she learned from her grandmother, Major transforms hand-rolled stoneware into extraordinary lighting and sculptures. The centerpiece, Tears of a Light Catcher, suspends six woven ceramic fixtures incorporating melted sea glass among hand-blown glass droplets, recalling the crowded ceilings of Caribbean marketplaces. Light filters through the intricate latticework and dances across the bubbled glass, casting delicate shadows. Nearby, Seen, a glazed stoneware mirror tracing the contours of her native New Providence island, explores the relationship between identity and place.
Until January 29, 2027
“Galerie Philia: La Matière Avant le Nom” at Meyer Zafra | Paris
What happens when familiar objects transcend their intended functions? Galerie Philia and Meyer Zafra unpack this question through an evocative domestic setting that seeks to blur the boundaries between furniture and fine art. Conceived by Ygaël Attali and Héloïse Zinger, the show features fiberglass furnishings from Kar’s Formless collection, whose fluid volumes and irregular surfaces resemble weathered stone or hand-molded clay. They’re joined by Louise Traon’s earthy ceramics that incorporate wild clays and granite, their unpredictable textures revealing the alchemy of the kiln. The works enter into conversation with Manuel Mérida’s ever-changing paintings, Francisco Salazar’s luminous white reliefs, and Anaïs Vindel’s atmospheric explorations of color.
Until December 24
“Show Me to Me” at Nurture by Nature | Burlington, VT
To inaugurate her gallery’s new home in a former grocery warehouse on Burlington’s waterfront, Nurture by Nature founder Kate Swanson conceived an exhibition inspired by the childhood tradition of Show and Tell. Three artists present new creations alongside cherished personal talismans that illuminate their creative lives. London-based Jabez Bartlett offers ghostly latex lamps and an inflatable black table, evoking childhood recollections of the British countryside. Brooklyn maker Luke Malaney showcases hand-carved stools and a bench fashioned from salvaged Vermont wood and etched with pencils during a summer residency. Brussels-based Jane Wright contributes hand-dyed silk curtains, a lantern adorned with beaded flowers, and an embroidered leather rug, accompanied with heirloom ceramics from her grandmother.
Until December 5