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Grandfather clock to fur sculptures: intriguing exhibitions in March and April
Loop Pendants by Jan Ernst (left), Mary McCartney’s English Rose (right)
Image: Courtesy of Jan Ernst (left) and HENZEL STUDIO x Mary McCartney (right)
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Grandfather clock to fur sculptures: intriguing exhibitions in March and April

Gallery FUMI, MARC STRAUS, and A plus A Gallery, amongst others, are transposing art enthusiasts to thematic worlds art and design, along with other captivating collections.

by STIRpad
Published on : Mar 07, 2023

Exhibitions have been a platform for artists, curators, professionals, and art enthusiasts, alike, to unite and analyse the essence of art and the emotion it holds. They are a medium through which a diverse range of art and artists establish a dialogue with the common audience—maintaining art’s relevance in society at the art exhibition. Exhibitions also function as spaces of art history, where new narratives unfold—with every exhibition inscribing a new story, a new narrative and providing a new context for art to be accessible to the viewers.

Take for instance, Jessica Alazraki’s strong belief in familial togetherness, Paolo Scheggi’s revival of his works from the 1960s and 70s, Maarten Baas’s impressions on passage of time and Estudio Campana’s industrial objects that function as design pieces, while all these exhibitions explore diverse themes and mediums, they serve as places of contemplation, to connect to oneself, to the past but also with all who experience art in real-time with them.

These exhibitions arouse an emotion in the heart of the artist, but also in the hearts of the visitors. STIR enlists ten such exhibitions that are a must-visit in the months of March and April.

The Fine Line

Celebrating works of artists who are walking the line between function and narrative, Gallery FUMI’s ‘The Fine Line’ exhibition is open to visitors from February 14, 2023, to March 11, 2023, in the United Kingdom. From Shinta Nakajima’s traditional language reinvigoration, Johannes Nagel and Atelier Lachaert Dhanis’s series that melds man and nature, British designer Max Lamb’s A14 chair to Sam Orlando Miller’s exercise in negative space, the visitors are encountered with an unexpected world that challenges both materiality and function. The artworks from the art gallery narrate new confidence in decorative art form, reflecting upon its history while giving it a future.

Jessica Alazraki: Here We Are

Alazraki’s first one-person exhibition with MARC STRAUS celebrates the concept of familial togetherness. Familism is a cultural value that emphasises warm, close, supportive family relationships. Alazraki presents a visual argument in favour of it through her play of textures and pigment, reflecting on the concept of ‘Familismo.’ Playing with distortion, scale, perception, and a palette dominated by primary colours, she imperceptibly reflects the surroundings and mood of her subjects. The exhibition ‘Jessica Alazraki: Here We Are’ is open to visitors from February 16, 2023, to April 15, 2023, in the United States.

Making Spaces

Aiming to analyse Paolo Scheggi’s oeuvre from the sixties and seventies, the exhibition ‘Making Spaces’ by Cardi Gallery retraces 25 works by him, narrating his artistic research between the 1960s and 70s. Curated by Ilaria Bignotti, the exhibition, from January 26, 2023, to April 15, 2023, in Italy, is designed to showcase a conversation between Intersuperfici, Inter-ena-cubi works, created with modules of die-cut cardboard and plexiglass. The exhibition also houses the installation ‘Interfiore’ (1968), presented for the first time by Galleria La Tartaruga, consisting of 85 fluorescent wooden rings hanging in the dark. The exhibition also covers many critics, designers and manufacturers, such as Germano Celant, Angelo Fronzoni, Alessandro Mendini, and Giancarlo Sangregorio, who have previously worked with Scheggi.

Play Time

Maarten Baas demonstrates a constant conflict between growing up and remaining a child at heart, at his first solo exhibition, on view from February 14, 2023, to 26 May 2023 at the Carpenters Workshop Gallery in Los Angeles. The exhibition showcases the Dutch designer’s impressions on the passage of time, reality, and fantasy. Contemporary collections like Real Time, Clay, and Close Parity are series of timepieces of varying scale—from full-sized grandfather clocks to smaller children’s clocks. Baas’s work straddles the boundary between art and design, attempting to “reverse the natural flow of time and rekindle the wonder of childhood within an adult environment,” state the organisers. Through this solo exhibition, the artist and designer are bringing his incredible depth and diversity of thought to a whole new audience.

Cine São José

From envisioning industrial objects into design pieces to creating objects that blur the line between functional art and collectable design, Estudio Campana’s legacy stems from their unique design language in the industry. ‘Cine São José’, an exhibition housed by gallery Friedman Benda honours the prolific contribution of the Estudio Campana in Los Angeles, California from February 15, 2023, to April 15, 2023. The exhibition showcases the chronology of their works from their earliest pieces like Yanomani Chair (1989) to the Sushi Series, The Detonado Series (since 2013), Jalapão Chair (2022), and the Noah Series, highlighting the inventive explorations of the studio.

Phantom Brush

Curated by Edoardo Monti, the exhibition ‘Phantom Brush’ is a result of collaboration between gallery A plus A and Palazzo Monti, a cultural centre and artist residence in Brescia. The title of the exhibition derives inspiration from American artist Alyssa Klauer’s painting of the same name. The exhibition, on display from 26 January 2023 to 26 March 2023, narrates the works of Klauer (1995, USA), Hannah Tilson (1995, UK) and Danilo Stojanović (1989, Croatia), from their residency. Stojanovic’s pictorial poetry rooted in artistic movements with antagonistic values sets a dialogue with Tilson’s work which takes us back to her Scottish origins.

ERODE- MORPH- BLOOM

‘ERODE- MORPH- BLOOM,’ is an amalgamation of works by six contemporary artists—Vanessa Beecroft, Nan Goldin, Kim Gordon, Katerina Jebb, Mary McCartney, and Marilyn Minter by Twentieth Gallery. The exhibition platforms six hand-knotted rugs alongside exclusive textiles, evoking a cyclical course, directly linked to their artisanal makings. From Vanessa Beecroft’s hand-knotted rug of a distorted female figure to Mary McCartney’s hand-knotted rug of an English Rose, the exhibition showcases the original works of the exhibited artists. ‘ERODE- MORPH- BLOOM’ is open for public viewing from February 13, 2023, to April 14, 2023, at 7729 Woodrow Wilson Drive in Hollywood Hills, United States.

Time Lapse at PAD Paris

‘Time Lapse,’ a new collection by South African artist Jan Ernst, which will be unveiled at the Objects with Narrative exhibition at PAD Paris from March 29, 2023, to April 02, 2023. In his collection, Ernst integrates inspiration from the natural world into his ceramic designs, delicately balancing form and function. “Through my work, I try to interpret the themes of life and death, birth, decay and time,” shares Ernst.

Saving chewing gums from mammoth’s hair

A new series of sculptural groups, formally unconnected yet intimately linked, inspired by a puppet theatre, is being displayed at the exhibition ‘Saving chewing gums from mammoth’s hair.’ The exhibition is Enej Gala’s first solo exhibition and is open to the public from February 9, 2023, to March 11, 2023. The exhibition showcases multiple forms of crossbars, used in controlling the puppets presented by the artist. The exhibition, also, houses three synthetic fur sculptures, shaped like ancient wheelbarrows, lying disjointed on the floor, emphasising the impossibility of dialogue between the inventors. The exhibition is organised in collaboration with TJ Boulting and A plus A galleries.

Text by Pratishtha Vashishth

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