CÉRAMIQUE I Béatrice Durandard, Chris Kabel, Thomas Koenig & Adrien Chevalley, Tomas Kral, Nicolas Le Moigne, Makiko Nakamura, François Ruegg, Matteo Zorzenoni, Dimitri Bähler, Martin Hyde, Bitossi
Exhibition from october 18 to december 21 2013.
The ceramic exhibition at Kissthedesign gallery proposes to explore the different sides of the material ceramic through design.
The gallery invited a selection of contemporary designers like Nicolas Le Moigne, Chris Kabel, Tomas Kral, Béatrice Durandard, Matteo Zorzenoni and Dimitri Bähler to showcase or design projects using ceramic. The result is a collection of functional and decorative objects, vases, lamps, centerpieces, etc that show the versatility of ceramic and its creative potential.
Interessted by the ornemental or even fictional capacity of the material and of the technique, the gallery wanted a dialogue between design and art and thus also invited artists and ceramists such as Makiko Nakamura, François Ruegg, Martin Hyde, Thomas Koenig and Adrien Chevalley, that develop an artistic ceramic production with unique pieces without disdaining the functional object.
The exhibition is not intended to show an exhaustive overview of the contemporary ceramic production, but is more focused in the decorative, luxury and narrative potential of the material through the visions of designers, to who ceramic is not the only tool, and artists able to play with ceramic and porcelain to create fantasy or precious works.
A selection of ceramics by italian manufacturer Bitossi, that Kissthedesign distributes in exclusivity in Lausanne, accompanies the exhibition, among other with pieces by Ettore Sottsass, Nathalie Du Pasquier, Arik Levy, etc, many in limited edition, as well as a small shop featuring some of the designers edited objects and Martin Hyde’s Kawaii Skulls
The look is definitely minimalist in the creations of young designers Béatrice Durandard and Tomas Kral, both graduated from the ECAL in Lausanne.
French designer Béatrice Durandard (*1985), newly shortlisted at the Design Parade 8, Villa Noailles, Hyère, is well known for her lights. Thanks to many awards and subsidies (Ikea fundation, etc) she was able to produce a great collection of lamps, all using the LED technology and showing a pure and minimal design, as for the lamp specially created for the exhibition. The table light L’assiette has a black enameled aluminium structure that holds a reflector made of a thin plate of ceramic. It’s as formally attractive as a Gino Sarfatti light, great light designer from the 20th century, with on the top of that a contemporary technical know how.
Béatrice Durandard young freelance designer based in Lausanne works with several manufacturers, like among others ACE, Habitat and Roche Bobois.
Tomas Kral (*1979) works regularily with ceramic, many of these production are also edited (The exhibition will show an overview). Rather accustomed to fluid forms with a hint of humour, Tomas Kral surprises with a new creation very graphical and minimal. The fruit dish GRIDrealized with the swiss ceramist Peter Fink and produced in limited edition for Kissthedesign is a true work of geometric art mixing straight lines, material respect and functionalism. It’s between full and empty that the form get created, and this is also there that the fruit finds its place.
Tomas Kral, designer from Slovakia, opened his studio in 2009 in Lausanne and teaches at the ECAL. His work is often published in the press with products edited by among other Super-ette, PCM, Foundry, Christofle, etc. He was also exhibited in international design galleries. (Helmrinderknecht, Libby Sellers, Kreo, etc)
The designers Chris Kabel, Nicolas Le Moigne, Matteo Zorzenoni and Dimitri Bähler understand ceramic conceptually and poetical.
Thus the dutch designer Chris Kabel (*1975) create a conceptual loop with his Money Vase, adorned with euro coins these vases are an ornamental critique against design capitalism. The price of the vase has become decoration which adds value to the vase. The exhibition showcase two different editions of the vase, the black one (illimited version) and the version with platinum finish limited to 30 exemplars.
Chris Kabel is professor at the Design Academy of Eindhoven (where he is graduated too) and at the ECAL, he works since years with design galleries like among other Tools and Kreo in Paris
Nicolas Le Moigne (*1979), since 2012 head of MAS Luxe at the ECAL, collaborates regularily with design galleries on more experimental projects in limited edition, like for instance with Helmrindnerknecht, Zürich, Libby Sellers, London, NextLevel, Paris and since this spring also with Kissthedesign gallery.
For the exhibition, Nicolas Le Moigne thought his new lamp Knot around the extruding process that he discovered in Peter Fink’s studio. The table lamp entirely made in ceramic is composed by an extruded based knoted by hand and by a flat reflector. The cable is here fully visible and even emphasized with a bright turquoise colour, he get the graphical element of the lamp. As it’s often the case for his limited editions, Nicolas Le Moigne plays with the contrasts between manufactured element that can be reproduced identically and the imperfections and uniqueness of the hand made.
The italian designer Matteo Zorzenoni (*1978) produces furniture, lighting and accessories for brands like Cappellini, Mercedes Benz, Bosa Ceramiche, Alcantara, etc, and limited editions for galleries. After a collaboration with Fabrica, Benetton Communication Research Center, he started a new one with Jaime Hayon which is still going on.
Based in northern Italy, a place rich in specialized handcraft and design tradition, Matteo Zorzenoni experiences these numerous expertises for his projects and combine materials with much poetry and skills. The Ninfea vase and the lamp specially designed for the exhibition associate the opacity of ceramic with the transparency of coloured glass.
Dimitri Bähler (*1988), young swiss designer graduated from the ECAL, presents Patterns & Colors, nominated at the Design Parade 8 at Villa Noailles in Hyère. For this project he developed a technique of embossing, during a residency at EKWC, the European Centre for Ceramic in Den Bosch (NL), that allow to apply patterns on volumes combining texture and coloured glaze thanks a latex foil. These objects become supports for visual experiment like a kind of 3D canvas, as graphical as abstract.
Contemporary ceramic is often experimental too, these sculptural objects become unique piece of decorative art, as in the work of François Ruegg and Makiko Nakamura. In a contrary movement, some artists, like Thomas Koenig, Adrien Chevalley or Martin Hyde test functionalism by reappropriating objects or ornemental imageries.
François Ruegg is a ceramic artist based in Yverdon, Switzerland, active in the ceramic field from the 80’s. Awarded many times over, he is also member of the international ceramic academy as well as of the swiss ceramic association, he teached at the cfpaa – arts appliqués in Geneva and at the University of Arts of Caracas. His work has been much exhibited in gallerie, museums and international events and is part of many public collection, among other the Mudac in Lausanne.
The gallery exhibits his Contre nature morte, amazing organic and abstract sculptures created by the packing of fruits and vegetables. True luxury objects of desire, they express ambiguity and sensuality.
Makiko Nakamura (*1982) is a ceramic artist born and raised in Japan.
After graduated Royal College of Art (UK) in 2011, she has started her career as a designer maker. Making narrative one-off art pieces that have fantasy stories behind them. Slogan of Makiko’ s creation is Imbue the fantasy to our life.
Also doing many projects with the companies such as Alexander McQueen, Querida.inc etc.
Swiss artists Thomas Koenig (*1983) and Adrien Chevalley (*1987) both graduated in master from the HEAD in Geneva, reappropriate everydays objects in a playfull manner by customizing the regularity of the manufactured object, making it imperfect and handicrafted. Thus a vase found in a thrift shop become an artwork, almost abstract, the vase’s form stays recognizable but its functionality get hindered
The canadian artist Martin Hyde (*1975) graduated from la Villa Arson, Nice and the HEAD in Geneva, present his recent ceramic production influenced by the style of chinese and Delft porcelain. Sometimes cleraly functional, these objects, vases, plates, bowls, become the medium of sureal and strange patterns, inspired by pop culture, undergroung culture and personal to the artist creative world. He aims to cause a fine gap to reality, because of the false similarity to traditional porcelain ornementation and thus offer a subversive experience.
