Sign in with Google
Sign in with email
A bold mix of simple features and plain shapes, juxtaposed against one another to form a rich pattern, and coloured in an array of hues—are some features that define Postmodern design, which appeared in the later half of the 1970s. Developed as a reaction to Modernism, the playfulness and vibrancy associated with this style were a welcome addition to the stoic outlines and neutral colour palette paramount in cities of the 20th century. Despite the usage of simplistic forms and patterns that were not intricate, but merely geometric, Postmodern style and design managed to attract attention and interest—owing to the contiguous placement of shapes and colours that sometimes appear to replicate classical symbols and, at other times, trigger pareidolia.
Celebrating the various product designs that fall under this style, Eclecticó Studio presents Archetypes of Desire, an exhibition in Paris that celebrates Postmodernist furniture and objects. Founded in 2013 by Stefan Cosma, Eclecticó Studio functions across three locations, Bucharest, Paris, and Ibiza. The gallery describes itself as a Postmodern design gallery, and has, over the years, assembled a collection of rare sculptural objects, furniture, and limited edition totems. An ode, therefore, to the harbingers of the design movement, on the gallery’s tenth anniversary, is only fitting. The exhibition is on display from March 28, 2023, to April 2, 2023, in the gallery’s Paris location.
“Eclecticó Studio is one of the biggest Postmodern design galleries and we are thrilled to celebrate our 10-year anniversary. So much more than ‘dealing’ design, we focus on researching the context of the period, analysing the connections between the International artists and producing exhibitions, catalogues and sound collaborations,” shares Stefan Cosma, founder of the gallery and curator of the exhibition. Pieces by the likes of Ettore Sottsass, Nanna Ditsel, Cesare Leonardi, Paolo Pallucco, Mireille Rivier, Dietmar Weihrauch, Enzo Mari, Javier Mariscal, François Scali & Alain Domingo, Bohuslav Horak, Martin Szekely, Philippe Starck, Marco Zanuso, Bořek Šípek, and Christophe Pillet, among others, dot the gallery.
The exhibition presents around 100 rare pieces of Postmodern furniture and objects, all of which date back to the 1980s and 1990s, from across the country and beyond. The collection displayed at the gallery, hence, highlights the diversity that typifies Postmodern design, both in terms of aesthetics, as well as the geographical location in which they were built. “Among the exhibited pieces around one-third are extremely rare or unique, unknown even to major design connoisseurs,” shares the gallery in an official release, highlighting the novelty of the exhibition.
Archetypes of Desire is an exposition designed around four major stylistic themes—vibrant, colourful and playful design as seen in designs by the Memphis Group; the monochromatic minimalist aesthetic found in the works of Martin Szekely or Paolo Pallucco; creations that satisfy the accreditation of biomorphism, such as the designs of Bohuslav Horak or Christophe Pillet; and lastly, Nouveau Baroque aesthetic codes, as found in the pieces crafted by Bořek Šípek. The variety of choices demonstrates how Postmodernism mostly speaks in layers and striking contrasts rather than with a single voice.
The exhibition serves as a study of postmodern design, as practised in Europe. In fragmenting the findings across different categorisations, the gallery manages to trace the different sets of features that define objects in each bracket. In order to come up with the curation, pieces from across the continent were gathered and various pan-European collaborations between designers, galleries, and producers were traced and investigated.
Post-exhibition, a catalogue—published by Barcelona-based publishing house Terranova—comprising photographs and writings by important art and design historians, curators, and designers will be published. Some of them include Philippe Thomé, Javier Mariscal, Sophie Dries, Patrizia di Constanzo, Gudrun Scholz, Dietmar Weihrauch, Bethan Laura Wood, Bohuslav Horak, and Marco Sammicheli, among others. With a limited edition of 500 copies, the catalogue will offer fresh insights into the history and context of Postmodern design. It will provide a thorough explanation of the emergence and evolution of Postmodernism and its spread across Europe, as well as a narrative history of the two decades, with anecdotes gathered from prominent figures in the design field.
‘Archetypes of Desire’ is on view from March 28 to April 2, 2023 at Eclecticó Studio, 29, boulevard de la Tour-Maubourg, 75007 Paris.
What do you think?