February 1, 2008
With the success of the Fragiles exhibition at Design Miami 07, the eclectic collection of contemporary porcelain, ceramic and glass design and artwork travels to Belgium for it's first European show hosted by Quinze & Milan's Gallery 113 in Kortrijk.
Not long ago, porcelain, glass and ceramics were almost exclusively used to make ostentatious objects best suited for display in grandmother's cabinet. Now these classic materials are experiencing a renaissance. Today, they are increasingly being utilised in playful ways by a new wave of designers and artists, inspired by Modernism's clear forms as well as an ironic depiction of figures, kitsch and the Romantic. Armed with these influences and an expanded repertoire of forms made possible by technological developments such as rapid prototyping, these designers and artists are manifesting their creative visions in unconventional objects made of these fragile materials.
Fragiles is a sales exhibition that presents over two hundred objects that expand and challenge our notion of these classical materials and traditions. From experimental and avant-garde to evocative retro-inspired reinterpretations, these cutting-edge examples indicate how visual culture and high tech production processes are influencing and reshaping this delicate territory in pioneering ways.
For the Fragiles show, Gestalten commissioned Arne Quinze, the trail-blazing, self-made designer, and Creative Director of Quinze & Milan to create a series of unique limited edition glass pieces in conjunction with traditional German artisans. 'Fluid' is a unique hybrid of art and design sensibilities imbued with Quinze's sheer brilliance. Shown at Design Miami 07 for the first time, they will now be presented for the first time in Europe at Gallery 113, home of Quinze & Milan.
The inspiring showcase also includes objects in all shapes, sizes and editions both crafted by hand and created using industrial applications. Featured are limited edition artistic creations by Jurgen Bey's 'Broken Family' crockery set, playful super-sized vases by Jaime Hayon for Bisazza, fantastically hand painted 'One Minute Delftware' by Marcel Wanders, 'Beads & Pieces' by Hella Jongerius for Artecnica's Design With Conscience collection, 'Missoni Patchwork' vases by Stephen Burks as well as Jerszy Seymour's raunchy Murano glassware 'Ken Kuts'. The exhibition also presents striking creations by artists working in the contemporary art scene such as Stephanie DeArmond, Hans van Bentem, Charles Krafft and Wendy Walgate. In addition to these projects by renowned creatives, Fragiles also contains an exciting selection of recent cutting-edge work by emerging talents.
Fragiles at Gallery 113 has been designed to occupy the 10,000 square metres space and introduces several new works by artists not shown in Miami. The spectrum and quality of these innovative projects shows a current generation of designers and artists just how relevant and challenging working with these traditional materials can be.
Fragiles Book Release
The book Fragiles: Porcelain, Glass and Ceramics will be released in May 2008. The 272-page volume not only features the works presented in the show at Design Miami 07 and Gallery 113, but also provides a comprehensive survey on the current trend introducing a large collection of innovative and recent cutting-edge work from around the globe by both established and emerging talents.
Title: Fragiles
Subtitle: Porcelain, Glass and Ceramics
Format: 272 pages, full colour, hard cover
Edited by: R. Klanten, S. Ehmann
Price: € 44,00, $ 65,00, £ 33,00
ISBN: 978-3-89955-208-9
Release: May 2008
