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A unique fusion of traditional techniques and Art Deco aesthetics unfurls at the New York-based Carpenters Workshop Gallery with Ancestral, a solo exhibition of French artist Ingrid Donat's works. The show platforms her expertise in seamlessly bringing together sculptural practice and functional art pieces, often drawing inspiration from living organisms and the natural world.
In the design exhibition running from November 14, 2024 - February 14, 2025, Donat, a pioneer in the realm of decorative arts, unveils two of her new works—Commode Ooni and Commode Maya—for the first time in New York. "After preview presentations in Paris and London, we are pleased to present the culmination of our global tour of the artist's solo exhibition here in New York, completing our celebration of this artist's unique, inimitable style," Loic Le Gaillard and Julien Lombrail, founders of Carpenters Workshop Gallery mention.
Born in 1957 to a Swedish mother and a Réunionese father, Donat's creative vision has been shaped by the cultural blend she grew up surrounded by. With works imbued with traditional craftsmanship and an Art Deco vein, the artist has positioned herself as a seminal figure in the design world. She interweaves sculptural art with function in compositions animated by bronze, wood, parchment and textiles with patterns drawn from scarification techniques. Despite her contemporary sensibilities, her oeuvre remains firmly rooted in French decorative arts and her diverse cultural heritage.
"Ingrid Donat's profound understanding of form, texture and craftsmanship, along with her ability to draw from traditions such as Art Nouveau and Art Deco, make her one of the most remarkable living practitioners in functional art," the founders of the design gallery relay.
Ancestral includes two new works by the artist that expand her series of commodes and express her long-term affinity to these forms. The pieces delineate Donat's singular approach to sculpture, which includes curves and rounded silhouettes that she sculpted extensively during her pregnancy in an artistic exploration of the female body.
Commode Ooni, one of Donat's latest pieces, was first showcased in Paris in April this year. Her signature mark-making and scarification returns in this furniture design piece. The intricate pattern engraved on the surface is achieved through wax casting, a process where bronze is soldered and moulded with precision. The complex framework of the commode is assembled alongside a team of 15 artisans and a specialist foundry.
On the other hand, Commode Maya is showcased for the first time in the exhibition space. Its bronze exterior reveals an experimental, mechanical pattern evocative of animal or insect-like forms inspired by ancient Mayan art. The handles of the structure have been hand-moulded by the sculptor using wax, allowing her fingerprints to be etched in her creation. The unique pattern on the surfaces of both product designs is replicated in their leather interiors, maintaining continuity between the outside and inside. The two forms and their anthropomorphic qualities emulate human, animal and natural forms, dialoguing with each other while expressing their individual personalities and inspirations.
Throughout her creative experiments, Donat has embraced a painterly approach towards bronze, a fairly weighty medium. The surfaces flaunt patterns of repetitive circular discs, abiding by an aesthetic that fuses Art Nouveau and Art Deco influences with traditional techniques and the artist's singular craftsmanship.
Ingrid Donat's 'Ancestral' is on view from November 14, 2024 - February 14, 2025, at the Carpenters Workshop Gallery in New York.
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