MELT illustrates the emerging expressionism on the New York design scene

Channelling the synergy created by blurring the boundaries between art and design, Adorno, a digital gallery for global collectible design and craft, in collaboration with Brooklyn-based HNH gallery, curated MELT. The exhibition featured a quirky and radical body of work, encompassing furniture, lighting, art and sculptures, in New York. On display from 10 to 30 May, 2022, the exhibition space brought together 30 New York-based creators who stepped beyond the limits of conventional forms to deduce a cohesive ensemble abiding to a common language. “The pieces on display resemble a constant flow or movement which makes us feel dynamic and present at the same time,” says Martin Clausen, co-founder and creative Director of Adorno. “This is what I hope visitors will feel when visiting,” he adds.

The show was inspired by the experimental and expressionist aesthetic that has mushroomed in the New York design scene in recent years. The 3000 square feet of space adorned with functional art reimagines the living room as a cliched domestic space adorned with abstract perceptions of mundane objects – from rugs, tables, lamps, and chairs to paintings, sculpture, and photography.

Presented in clusters, each piece narrated its designer’s whimsical approach whether in form and stylistic language or in the intriguing material selection. Dynamism was exuded from squiggly silhouettes, sinuous frames and vivid colours conspiring with unpredictable materials like paper pulp, bioplastics, cement and textiles among others, to craft bizarre furniture designs: sofas inspired by red rocks of the Garden of the Gods, a slimy looking chair and side table, a mirror reminiscent of terraced hills, biomaterial sculptures and more. “Despite the objects being static, they give an opportunity to grasp a moment in time, almost like time stands still,” shares Clausen.

HNH Gallery and Adorno brought together distinguished New York profiles including Jumbo, J McDonald, Studio Poa, and Joseph Algieri and new commissions from emerging talent including Nicholas Devlin, Gustavo Barroso, Mike Ruiz Serra and Michal Cihlar, exhibiting a selection of pieces many of which were never seen before. Staying true to its cause, MELT provided an authentic, on-the-ground insight into the insurgent style proliferating in New York’s melting pot of a design scene through the eyes of those based in the city and tuned into this sprouting aesthetic.