From Auctions to Online Installations, It's a Busy March in the Design World
Our Month Ahead series rounds up noteworthy shows, news, and other happenings in the design and architecture communities.
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Opening/Closing
Across the U.S.
New York
Cody Hoyt’s newest collection of patterned ceramics are on view in “Fossil Record” at Patrick Parrish Gallery until March 12th. Each piece is hand-built and carefully inlaid in Hoyt’s Brooklyn studio.
Korean designer Hun Chung Lee’s new show, The Act of Artwork, opened at R & Company on March 1st. This body of work, composed of more than 40 pieces, celebrates Lee’s joy in the process of creation.
For the first time in the U.S., The Museum of Arts and Design will present the work of Antwerp based design duo Studio Job in “MAD HOUSE”. At times unorthodox, their body of work spans multiple disciplines and mediums and is on view beginning March 22nd.
Starting on March 23rd, Tom Sachs will be taking over the Noguchi Museum in a site-specific installation—the first time a single artist will be shown in the space other than Isamu Noguchi himself. The show promises to provide a modern dystopian interpretation of the traditional Japanese tea ceremony, chanoyu.
Thom Browne’s “Selects” debuts at the Cooper Hewitt on March 4th. This show features frames and mirrors from the museum's collection, as well as those of the designer’s own making.
“Endless House: Intersections of Art and Architecture”, the current Modern Architecture exhibition at MoMA exploring the the trope of the home as interpreted by artists and architects, closes March 6th. Opening just a week later on March 13th is “A Japanese Constellation: Toyo Ito, SANAA, and Beyond,” a show that explores the trajectory and influence of architects Toyo Ito and SANAA.
Across the East River, UrbanGlass presents Render: Respond to Glass in their Brooklyn space. The exhibition shows work that teasing out the complexity of glass creation.
Providence
On now at the RISD Museum, “Dorner Prize: Conversation Pieces” is an online installation examining the relationship between museum objects and the language used to describe and contextualize them. This year’s winner of the annual Dorner Prize is awarded to Gabriel Melcher, an MFA Graphic Design candidate.
Cranbrook
Two exhibitions close this month at the Cranbrook Art Museum. Both “Read Image, See Text,” which investigates the variety in approach among artist books, and “Designs of the Times: 100 Years of Posters at Cranbrook,” pulling from the Cranbrook Archives, closes on March 20th.
San Francisco
A retrospective of the work of famed late Dominican fashion designer, Oscar de la Renta, opens in the Herbst Exhibition Galleries of the deYoung on March 12th.
Further Afield
London
Opening on March 25th, The Design Museum in London will unveil “Designs of the Year 2015,” the 8th annual exhibition showcasing cutting-edge designs as well as those that best encapsulate the zeitgeist of the previous year.
Copenhagen
March 19th is the last day to catch Kueng Captuo’s newest works at Etage Projects. The show represents the first time the work of Swiss design duo Sarah Kueng and Lovis Caputo is being shown in Denmark. Their colorful leather bowls are treated with layer after layer of dye until the playfully marbled finish is achieved.
Berlin
At the Bauhaus Archives design museum, “Textile Design Today: From Experiment to Series” begins on March 16th, with an opening reception on March 15th at 7pm.
Zurich
“Please Touch!” can be seen (and touched) at the Museum Gestaltung through March 20th. Take in design with more than just your eyes in this interactive and tactile exhibition.
Paris
On view in the galleries just across from the Louvre, “De La Caricature à l’Affiche 1850-1918” at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs explores the function of caricaturists in French posters at the turn of the 20th century.
Brussels
At the new Art & Design Atomium Museum in Brussels, “Eames & Hollywood,” the art center’s first temporary exhibition, will open on March 10th. The exhibition, curated by Alexandra Midal, presents a sampling of the more than 750,000 photographic images taken by the iconic American designers Charles and Ray Eames.
Helsinki
Designmuseo is currently showing “The Century of the Child: Nordic Design for Children - from 1900 to today,” an exhibition that focuses on examples of Nordic design for children and draws from the MoMA exhibition on a similar, albeit broader, theme of product design and when it is targeted toward children. The show runs through March 13th along with an exhibition of Ilkka Suppanen’s work (this year’s winner of The Torsten and Wanja Söderberg Prize), which will be on display until March 27th.
Toronto
Still on display at Design Exchange is “Classic Plastics,” a show celebrating the revolutionary material, developed during WWII as a replacement for natural materials in high demand.
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Events
From March 11-20th, this year’s edition of TEFAF Maastricht—the prestigious annual fair in the Netherlands—brings together 10 of the world’s best design galleries and 265 leading art galleries. Notable galleries in the design section include Dansk Møbelkunst Gallery, Demisch Danant, and Jason Jacques Inc.
Marcel Wanders is will be having a busy spring. After opening a solo show at Friedman Benda at the end of February, the Dutch designer is delivering the opening keynote address at Design Days Dubai. The fair presents preeminent design of the Middle East and South Asia from March 14-18th.
At The Armory Show, Chamber will present the work of Studio Job as well as the work of Sung Jang, separately, in a special site-specific installation
Prior to the opening of “Eames & Hollywood” at the Art & Design Atomium Museum, curator Alexandra Midal will have a conversation with Eames Demetrios, the director of the Eames Office on March 8th (RSVP required).
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Auctions
Wright will host their first design auction of 2016 on March 24th, focused on 20th century design. Sotheby’s “Made in Britain” design sale takes place on March 16th in their London auction house. Also in London on the 16th is the Christie’s Interiors sale, which will be followed by two interiors sales in Paris later in the month. Piasa will host two sales of Italian design on March 17th. In the neighboring arrondissement, Druout will have a packed schedule of sales, with auctions of jewelry, watches, carpets, fashion, and other design objects happening almost daily. Last but not least, Rago and Artsy will team of for a sale of 20th century art and design, featuring 15 works made by makers who collect the work of their fellow artists and designers. Tune in between March 15th and March 23rd to place your bid!
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Editorial Roundup
Last month we brought you our thoughts on the Cooper Hewitt Design Triennial as well as a conversation with Misha Kahn on his newest work. Also not to be missed are the fanciful designs of Jean Royère and the intricate, deathly work of Katsuyo Aoki.
—Kristina Parsons
