'Ad Libitum' by Mariane Ibrahim and Gallery FUMI explores improvisation and materiality

Ad Libitum, a collaborative project by Mariane Ibrahim and Gallery FUMI, brings together contemporary designers and artists, including JAMESPLUMB, Peter Uka, Jeremy Anderson, Kustaa Saksi, and more, whose works engage with themes of improvisation and materiality. The art and design exhibition, which runs from April 22 - May 3, 2025, features paintings by Nigerian artist Peter Uka, photography by Mexico City-based Darryl Richardson and design pieces from London's Gallery FUMI.

"Ad Libitum, meaning both 'at one's pleasure' and a musical call to improvisation, serves as a metaphor for the convergence of artists, designers and friends of the gallery. The presentation unveils a celebration of friendship, collective spirit, craftsmanship and cultural multiplicity," states the show's press release.

FUMI makes its Chicago debut with a curated selection of works by its roster of creatives. Among them, Max Lamb's material-driven practice stands out through a series of explorations, each offering a distinct take on form and texture. In his Glulam series, vibrant stains highlight the layered construction of glulam wood, while the Poly series transforms discarded polystyrene into sculptural designs finished with metallic spray coatings. His acclaimed BOX series, composed entirely of cardboard, pushes the boundaries of material perception, challenging traditional notions of value and permanence.

Kustaa Saksi's woven tapestries, crafted from Japanese Mino Washi paper and wood pulp-based viscose, feature surreal colour palettes and kaleidoscopic patterns inspired by dreams, Finnish mythology and folklore. JAMESPLUMB's Copper Roots series showcases winding copper forms paired with limecrete lamp-holders, while Jeremy Anderson's A New Cast of Characters presents illuminated sculptures that blend wheel-thrown stoneware with intricately painted glazes.

Additionally, Saelia Aparicio's carved wooden figures draw from classical mythology and the transformative hybrid forms of Ancient Egypt, Mesopotamia and pre-Columbian Mesoamerica. In contrast, Sam Orlando Miller's reflective wall sculptures—composed of layered patinated mirror and textured glass—invite a more contemplative, distanced engagement, highlighting the dynamic interplay of light and reflection.

Johannes Nagel's ceramic vessels embrace organic forms, reflecting the fluidity and spontaneity of the natural world. Working in dialogue with the material, he allows its inherent limitations to guide the final shape, resulting in forms that feel both intuitive and deliberate.

Lukas Wegwerth explores a similar synergy between nature and material in his Crystallization series, where salt crystals grow onto fractured ceramic vessels—a process inspired by the philosophy of kintsugi. This slow transformation alters texture, light and perception, echoing nature's quiet evolutions.

Furthermore, Eelko Moorer's Flora Curiosa continues this theme of organic emergence. From a solid bronze trumpet-like vessel, sinuous forms unfold, blurring the boundary between botanical growth and crafted object. Shinta Nakajima's Acanthus XIX, also in bronze, twists and winds with surprising lightness. Shaped over nearly 100 hours of rhythmic hammer strikes, Nakajima's meditative repetition imbues the piece with both tension and grace, transforming the metal into a lyrical gesture.

Darryl Richardson's JUS SOLI—Latin for 'right of the soil'—is a multidisciplinary project that explores Afro-Mexican identity within the coastal communities of Costa Chica, Oaxaca, home to the largest Afro-Mexican population in Mexico. Despite the presence of 1.4 million Afro-descendants in the country, Afro-Mexican communities continue to face systemic marginalisation. It wasn't until the 2020 National Census, following years of advocacy, that the Mexican government formally recognised its Black citizens.

Richardson documents how the Costa Chica community navigates the complexities of African heritage within the broader Mexican socio-political landscape. His use of shadow and silhouette evokes the tension between visibility and erasure, offering a nuanced reflection on Blackness shaped by both historical neglect and emerging recognition.

Lastly, Peter Uka, in a parallel exploration of identity, turns to memory and nostalgia. Born in Nigeria and based in Cologne, Uka draws from his 1970s upbringing in Benue, blending past and present to create emotionally layered, painterly works. His canvases feature imagined or composite figures, interweaving historical references, personal memories and contemporary cues. In his latest work of contemporary art, Uka reflects on fragmented memories, interrupted conversations and the passage of time—offering a visual meditation on how culture is remembered, preserved and transformed.