We visited the recent Design Miami/ to pore over the 70 exhibitions from 13 countries –
including one very popular one from right here in South Africa.
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Down here at the tip of Africa, exotic Miami may be better known for a pair of good-looking detectives who drove fast cars and rolled up their jacket sleeves (and DocDocDocDocDoctorBeat, obviously) but it’s also home to the annual Design Miami/.
Hosted by Lexus, the design fair’s official automotive partner, we attended the 15th edition of this influential design week, located behind Miami South Beach’s wonderful Art Deco-adorned beachfront and held in conjunction with Art Basel art fair across the boulevard. And yes, the latter was the geocentre of the $120 000 banana conceptual art drama that saw said fruit subsequently eaten by another artist. Google it… it’s worth the read. Design Miami/ though, which involved gallerists and designers showcasing anything from 19th-century pieces to contemporary items, drew less controversy. Here are some highlights.
1. LES ATELIERS COURBET A collab with the estate of 20th-century French filmmaker Jacques Tati, Les Ateliers Courbet showed some bright and cheerful mid-century designs sourced from Tati’s 1958 film MonOncle (my uncle). These included the yellow TheRockingChair and a simple but not entirely practical MrsArpel’sSofa.
2. FUNCTIONAL ART GALLERY A fascinating reinterpretation of the Abstract Gallery, which was part of Peggy Guggenheim’s groundbreaking and highly inluential "Art of This Century" exhibition that ran in New York from 1942 to 1947.
3. AGO PROJECTS Based in Mexico City, Ago Projects' space was a riot of colour and texture with Fernando Laposse’s charmingly odd long-haired pink coffee table made of jute fibre, sisal and wood.
4. MERCADO MODERNO Dedicated to Brazilian design, the gallery’s specialties are vintage design from the 1950s to 1980s and at Design Miami/ it celebrated the life and works of Portuguese-born Joaquim Tenreiro, creator of the first examples of modern Brazilian design.
5. GALERI PHILIPPE GRAVIER Appropriately titled Splash!, the neon-coloured, abstractly shaped lacquered wood tables were more of an attention-focusing showpiece than anything you’d necessarily get comfy around.
6. SOUTHERN GUILD One of the standouts was a collection of South African designers represented by Southern Guild. Described by Design Miami/ as “some of the most avant-garde contemporary designers working out of Africa”, its stand included work by Zizipho Poswa, Rich Mnisi, Justine Mahoney, Madoda Fani, as well as Porky Hefer’s hugely popular Molecules.
7. GALERIE PATRICK SEGUIN Charlotte Perriand, a pioneer among women designers and currently the focus of a major exhibition at the Louis Vuitton Foundation in Paris, was the big drawcard here. An icon of mid-century design, the major piece on display was her cabinet made for the Cite Cansado in Mauritania.
8. LEXUS SUNSHOWER To showcase its new LC 500 Convertible, Lexus’ response to the Design Miami/ theme of “Elements: Water” was to commissioned an installation by Tokyo-born New Yorker Nao Tamura, who created a relaxing space with fabric and lighting that reinforced the brand’s commitment to omotenashi (hospitality), takumi (artisanship) and the indooroutdoor philosophy of engawa.