Emma Donnersberg + Abel Cárcamo at Les Ateliers Courbet in New York. Photo: Les Ateliers Courbet
Influenced by the ancient Japanese art of Bonsai, Paris-based designer Emma Donnersberg and Chilean sculptor Abel Cárcamo have teamed up to conjure a poetic series of organically-shaped bronze tables and lamps, now on view at Les Ateliers Courbet in New York. The culmination of a three-year partnership, the treelike works in “Penzai” were first cast in plaster by Cárcamo under Donnersberg’s creative direction, then rendered in bronze using a lost-wax technique and hand-patinated by the experts at Fonderie Fusions in Auvergne, France. Through June 10.
“Snails in Comparison” at Lora Reynolds Gallery in Austin. Photo: @TheHaasBrothers
Known for their personality-packed furniture and objects that meld the natural world with cartoonish flair, the Haas Brothers have worked across everything from porcelain and bronze to stone and resin, even fur. Now, Austin-born twins Nikolai and Simon Haas are showcasing explorations in a new medium at Lora Reynolds Gallery in the Texas capital. On view through May 27, “Snails in Comparison” puts a spotlight on blown-glass techniques the Los Angeles–based brothers honed while living in residency with the expert artisans at Pilchuck Glass School in the Pacific Northwest. Inaugurating the art gallery’s new location are a colorful cadre of playful glass-bodied creatures, all of which are bedecked with hand-carved marble shells, as well as a special six-foot-tall painted bronze work, Uncle Simon, that poignantly symbolizes familial bonds.
The latest exhibition at Renaud Vuaillat’s Twenty First Gallery in Manhattan shines a spotlight on the magic of creative instinct, the powerful force that guides an artistic practice yet is unable to be fully explained. Opening April 13, this group show, titled “Inscape,” features 35 singular works by over a dozen designers and artists on the gallery’s roster, among them Béatrice Serre, Nicolas Aubagnac, Emmanuel Babled, and Jean-Marie Fiori. Highlights include six new reflective furnishings by French artist François Corbeau, as well as a bewitching gold and platnium mirror by Italian ceramicist Giuseppe Ducrot, who recently completed the façades of Christian Louboutin’s new boutique hotel in Portugal.
Caro Alessandro, on view in Paris from 9 March to 6 May 2023, honors the legacy of the great Italian designer Alessandro Mendini, and his 20-year collaboration and friendship with Galerie kreo. Photo: Galerie kreo
The towering legacy of Italian architect Alessandro Mendini, who passed away in 2019 at age 87, is celebrated in the latest exhibition at Paris’s Galerie Kreo, where Mendini staged frequent design collaborations during the last 20 years of his career. Among the iconic works on view are his original creations for the gallery, including the the disco-mirrored Lampada lamp and the shapely Poltrona white gold chair, as well as vintage sofas, chairs, tables, and objects that embody his joyous energy. Notably, a new film by dancer and choreographer Brandon Miel Masele accompanies the show, putting Mendini’s irreverent spirit in a new light.
Works by Alexis & Ginger on view at Colony in New York. Photo: Alexis & Ginger
New York design collective Colony is unveiling the results of its first-ever talent incubator program, an intensive eight-month residency that aims to foster the next generation of American designers. The first two practices to complete the program—Marmar Studio and Alexis & Ginger—are debuting their newest furniture collections at the gallery’s Canal Street location through May 1. “Pet Collection” by Marmar Studio, which was founded by furniture designer and RISD alum Ingemar Hagen-Keith, injects a dose of whimsy into traditional wood craft, while “Ode” by Alexis Tingey and Ginger Gordon mixes architectural silhouettes with the delicacy of woven tapestry.
