PRESENTING MODERN MASTERS
An exhibition starting this week in a newly launched gallery in Dubai will set the tone for this year’s Downtown Design
Celebrating its fifth anniversary this year, Downtown Design predates Dubai Design Week and is one of the cornerstones of the event.
To mark half a decade of the annual design fair, event director Rue Kothari has partnered with the newly launched AR Gallery in D3 to curate an exhibition that will set the tone for the show.
“We wanted to give the design community a taste of what’s in store for this coming edition,” Kothari says. “We’re growing and evolving as an event, and hope always to reflect how the industry here is changing and maturing. This presents a microcosm of new and returning brands, and along with the rest of our exhibiting brands, the best of what international design has to offer.”
Running from October 11 to November 5 at the new AR Gallery in D3’s Building 6, and entitled Modern Masters, the exhibition features pieces by international stalwarts such as CC-Tapis, Kettal, Melogranoblu, Meridiani, Moroso and Studio A.
“For Modern Masters, we have worked with each of the exhibiting brands to showcase a unique piece that will not be displayed at this year’s fair,” Kothari says. “The objects best represent each brand’s individual craft, skill and aesthetic vision, and together characterise the spirit and value of contemporary commercial design.
“The whole of Downtown
Design is a curatorial process, and this was an extension of that.
I love the brands that exhibit at the fair and I am just as passionate about the work that these five brands are presenting,” she adds. Standout pieces include a carpet by CC-Tapis featuring an oversized chain motif – with the space between each link filled with a colourful eye design; a console by Meridiani that delicately juxtaposes marble and metal; sculptural, balloonlike lighting from Melogranoblu; and a faceted armchair by Moroso that looks like it has been sprinkled with stardust. While the pieces were not created specifically for Modern Masters, they are all bespoke. “The pieces had to be distinct from the collections on exhibit at the fair; they needed to play with natural materials and have personality – they needed to communicate the value of the design process, manufacturing skill, and the expertise inherited through generations of artistry,” Kothari concludes.
Selina Denman