May 12, 2009
June 13 - July 11, 2009
Al-Sabah Art & Design
The Corniche, Arabian Gulf Road, Shaab, Kuwait
Fragiles the eclectic collection of contemporary porcelain, ceramic and glass design and artwork has been invited by Sheikh Majed Al-Sabah for its first show in the Middle East at the Al-Sabah Art & Design Gallery in Kuwait.
"We're pleased to host the Fragiles exhibition and look forward to introducing this cutting-edge presentation to the Middle East for the first time." Sheikh Majed Al-Sabah
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, curated and produced by Gestalten, 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.
After successfully touring the US and Europe making stops at Design Miami 2007 and Quinze & Milan's Gallery 113 in Belgium in 2008, Fragiles will travel to the Al-Sabah Art & Design Gallery in Kuwait, a contemporary art and design gallery created by Villa Moda founder Sheikh Majed Al-Sabah. Devoted to initiating and exhibiting art and design projects that encourage cultural exchange and inspire dialogue between local and international communities, Sheikh Majed Al-Sabah has invited Gestalten to present Fragiles as the first exhibition to follow the premiere show at Al-Sabah Art & Design, which will officially mark it's opening in May 2009. The exhibition will also celebrate its first presentation in the Middle East.
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 from the glass manufactory Theresienthal. 'Fluid' is a unique hybrid of art and design sensibilities imbued with Quinze's sheer brilliance.
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 and unique lamps and vases for Bosa, fantastically hand painted 'One Minute Delftware' by Marcel Wanders, 'Missoni Patchwork' vases by Stephen Burks, Jerszy Seymour's raunchy Murano glassware 'Ken Kuts', Demakersvan's 'Lucky Charms' life size ceramic centrepiece and cupboard jewellery, as well as hand-blown glass vases by Esque. The exhibition also presents striking creations by artists working in the contemporary art scene such as 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 such as Wieki Somers and Maxim Velkovsky to name but a few.
Fragiles at the Al-Sabah Art & Design Gallery has been designed to occupy the new gallery space and introduces several new works by artists not shown in the previous exhibitions. 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.
