Unno gallery to unveil 'Volume, The Land and the Maker' at Brera

Digital art and design gallery rooted in Latin American culture, born from the encounter between Maria Dolores Uribe and Laura Abe Veorei, UNNO, is set to present a new approach to showcasing art and design, bringing together the age-old wisdom of local artisans with the creative skills of contemporary artists. Following the project’s launch in February 2021, the gallery will partake for the first time at Milan Design Week 2022 to present ‘Volume, The Land and the Maker’, laying bare the cultural roots that inspired one of the most prominent artists of the modern times, Josef Albers. To be set in motion in the Brera design district, this exhibition picks as its starting point one of the two thousand paintings from Homage to the Square, a series through which Josef Albers developed the stylistic language that he delved into throughout his career as well as his theory on the interactions of colour. This series is influenced by the pre-Columbian art he witnessed during his trips to Latin America, most of them to Mexico: dynamic geometric forms, honest use of materials, and respect to the colours found in nature. Homage to the Square functions lays down the principles that both Abel Carcamo and Habitation 116 follow to evolve their works, which epitomise the values Albers displayed in his painting.

Abel Cárcamo will present a wooden embedded bench that brings to life traditional, artisanal practices of his native country Chile while staying true to the minimalist aesthetic that is distinctive of his work. Straddling a line between sculpture and design, his work is the consequence of meticulous experimentation with materials and their potentials, while always letting spontaneity and organic patterns flow. With this selection of pieces, ‘Volume, The Land and the Maker’ demonstrate the innumerable intersections that have made design a global dialogue, brimming with unexpected exchanges of form, ideas and thoughts.

Unno Gallery will spotlight the creations of Paris-based Abel Carcamo with his 'Metate collection', presenting the first piece of his series, a wooden bench with a contemporary language, drawing inspiration from the ornamental pieces from the pre-Columbian period. It will be the first instance of Carcamo using wood in his designs. His designs show a unique combination of different style periods that are skillfully hand-made. Abel Cárcamo's collections blend contemporary trends and traditional materials via collaborations with local craftsmen of Chile, Mexico and Paris. Bridging traditional practice and minimalism Carcamo creates timeless design through the knowledge of the capabilities of materials and techniques.

Unno Gallery will also reveal the works of one of the renowned multidisciplinary Mexican interior architecture studio, Habitación 116, with their series of works ‘Lava’. Habitación 116 fosters the Mexican design legacy together with local craftsmen and the thorough analysis of functionality. Rooted in relentless research, Habitación 116 expresses a sensitive consistency of a contemporary Mexican aesthetic. Inspired by the 'El Pedregal' neighbourhood in Mexico City, a volcanic stone landscape area, the 'Lava' series derives its 'colour theory' from the five colours of the Mexican altiplano and the volcanic rocks. The series encompasses a chair, a butaque, two stools, and interior architecture elements. Influenced by the popular Mexican chair of mestizo origin, the 'Lava' chair is painted in bright colours. It exhibits a seat woven in tule, a unique attribute of the vernacular production of furniture where the man commonly carves and assembles the wooden structure and the woman weaves and gives the coloured finish. Each piece of 'Lava' dons the initials of the artisan who made it reestablishing their loyalty to the hands that materialise their work.

Works from 'La Ciudad Perdida' collection by C.S. Nuñez and 'Peel' collection by Estudio Persona will also share the stage in the exhibition which is co-curated by CO,MA, collection and exhibition management from Mexico. The gallery design is developed by Habitacion 116. With exhibition ID and graphic production by TOMO Ediciones,  lighting design of the exhibition space by Diez Company in partnership with Astro Lighting, Unno Gallery aims to stimulate the interweaving of ideas that result in the manifestation of historic momentums with their exhibition, 'Volume, The Land and the Maker'.

‘Volume, The Land and the Maker’ will be on display at Milan Design Week 2022, from 7th – 12th June, via Palermo 11, Basement, Brera, Milan.

STIR takes you on a Milanese sojourn! Experience Salone del Mobile and all the design districts - 5vie, Brera, Fuorisalone, Isola, Zona Tortona, and Durini - with us. STIR’s coverage of Milan Design Week 2022, Meanwhile in Milan showcases the best exhibits, moods, studios, events, and folks to look out for. We are also excited to announce our very own STIR press booth at Salone del Mobile - Hall 5/7 S.14, Fiera Milano RHO.