16 Highlights From Collectible Salon 2021
The blurred line between art and design is once again crossing new frontiers with Collectible Salon, a new digital exhibition platform of 21st-century objects running May 28-30. Presented by Brussels fair Collectible, the time-limited online event—the first in a series—connects art and design collectors with galleries and artists. Both emerging and established talents are behind the one-off and limited-edition pieces. In conjunction with the virtual event, virtual talks and in-person exhibitions will also take place across Belgium’s capital. From a coat rack recalling stalagmites to a whale-like cabinet to a stool channeling stacked macarons, here are 16 standouts from this year’s fair.
1. Dolly by Vadim Kibardin
The stacked impression of the limited-edition Dolly armchair by Vadim Kibardin, part of his handmade Paper furniture collection, is created from a combination of recycled cardboard and black paper. Via Mia Karlova Galerie.
2. Untitled by Abigail Ozora Simpson
Coarse, hand-coiled pink stoneware clay fired to a high temperature forms the clay, cement, and wood Untitled. Recalling a totem, the seven-foot-high sculpture is a one-of-a-kind piece by Abigail Ozora Simpson via Modern Shapes Gallery.
3. Surfaced by Sho Ota
A coat rack giving the impression of stalagmites, the limited-edition lacquered beechwood Surfaced by Sho Ota stretches nearly six feet high. Via Mia Karlova Galerie.
4. Gradient Bench Small by Philipp Aduatz
Experimentation in the new fabrication technology of 3D concrete printing by Austrian manufacturer Incremental3d gave rise to Gradient Bench Small by Philipp Aduatz. The limited-edition, 3D-printed-concrete piece is reinforced with steel. Dye is applied during the printing process for an innovative time and waste slashing solution. “For many years, I have been obsessed by the concept of a gradient which reflects elegance and harmony to me,” says the designer.
5. Cabinet with Stone (Thulite) by Pierre De Valck
A stone fragment estimated at 280 million years old is an eye-arresting element of the handmade Cabinet with Stone (Thulite) by Pierre De Valck. Uncovered in the Trolltunga mountain range in Norway, the large, naturally bright pink Thulite stone separates the two 28-inch high oxidized and waxed aluminum cabinets. The signed one-of-a-kind piece is the first in a series entitled Pieces with Stone.
6. Y by Koen van Guijze
A tribute to the Memphis Design movement, the colorfully lacquered-aluminum Y pendent light by Koen van Guijze is part hanging candelabra, part sculpture. It’s produced in a limited-edition series of 10.
7. Hard Whale by Xavier Lust
Earth’s most enormous mammal is behind the sloping aluminum Hard Whale cabinet by Xavier Lust. Its patina recalls the reflection of the water on the skin of a whale or clouds on a stormy day.
8. Stool by TAKK
Wax and plastic flowers locked in time form Stool by TAKK. Via Camp Design Gallery.
9. Chair and Bench by Supertoys Supertoys
Both Chair and Bench—two limited edition pieces by Supertoys Supertoys—stretch the boundaries of traditional furnishing objects with a plethora of legs. Each has eight.
10. Macaron by Cristian Andersen
Cristian Andersen captured the soft hues of the almond flour cookie in his Macaron stool, rendered in polyurethane, pigments, concrete, and cork. Each piece in the series is signed and unique. Via Etage Projects.
11. PPC-DH by Théophile Blandet and Donna Huanca
Raw pigment powder is housed within the plastic frame of PPC-DH. Released as eight limited-edition pieces, the chair is by Théophile Blandet and Donna Huanca in collaboration with Peres Projects and Functional Art Gallery, Berlin.
12. Lunair Applique by Filip Janssens
Celebrating imperfection, Filip Janssens retains the jagged edges of reclaimed white Carrara marble with his magnetic hanging wall lamp Lunair Applique. The lamp’s natural surface is illuminated by an embedded LED strip. Via Galerie Scene Ouverte.
13. Path No. 4 by Ara Thorose
A continuous bending cylinder forms the arresting shape of the Path No. 4 rubber and steel armchair by Ara Thorose. “It’s a first look at an in-process series that explores divergent paths to a common destination,” the designer notes.
14. Jazzburry Jam by OrtaMiklos
The striking gradient raspberry hue of OrtaMiklos’s Jazzburry Jam, a 32-inch-high cardboard pulp and wood framed illuminated sculpture, is captured from a combination of acrylic paint and UV lacquer. Via Functional Art Gallery.
15. Monolith by Baptiste Comte
Each clay vase in Monolith, a collection by Baptiste Comte, channels a unique expression of form and tactility.
16. Blue Spill by Aaron Blendowski
Aaron Blendowski pushed the boundaries of pigment for Blue Spill, a mirror with a frame fabricated out of sand, resin, and fiberglass-reinforced gypsum plywood. Part of the Voyager series, the mirror gleans its blue hue from layers of blue-tinted resin, clear glass, and mirror.
