The presentation includes a particular focus on lighting sculptures by French artist Léa Mestres, whose practice is grounded in the creation of objects that evoke joy. Based between Paris and Audierne, Mestres challenges the conventions of a design world that she often considers overly serious. Using whimsy and nostalgia as aesthetic devices, she transforms functional objects into expressive, characterful presences.
Among the exhibited pieces are sculptural lamps that Mestres makes with her own custom plaster, called lélélite. The floor lamp Dixie features a rough, textured surface painted to create a gradient color effect of yellow and white. Also including lamps like Kelly and Kyle, the series uses names of friends, family, and fictional characters to imbue the artworks with personality. Through organic shapes, tactile surfaces, and vivid paint, this collection of sculptures celebrates imperfection and freedom through its experimental approach to texture, size, and color.
In a more recent body of work, Mestres uses colorful mosaic tiles to depict landscapes inspired by time she has spent in locations around the world. 4-6 Ciutat Vella is a large, yellow standing lamp inspired by the mosaics that adorn Palau de la Música Catalana in Barcelona. The artwork illustrates how the artist creates objects that are intentionally bright and breezy, injecting a sense of fun into the practice of design.
The exhibition also features works by other illustrious names from Carpenters Workshop Gallery’s global roster. Continuing the theme of light, a hanging sculpture from the Fragile Future series by DRIFT features hundreds of dandelion heads glued to LED lights and fixed into an intricate copper lattice. Vivid, vibrant tonalities are found in Roger Herman’s instinctive and idiosyncratic use of color, which stretches from his painting White Door to his various ceramic works.
Contrasting approaches to materiality can be seen between Campana Brothers’ Bolotas seating pieces, which are covered in fluffy purple wool, and Zanine Caldas’ modernist pequi wood dining chairs, taken from his Denuncia collection of protest furniture. George Nakashima’s coffee table is crafted from American black walnut, while Vincenzo De Cotiis’ blends cast brass with black lacquered wood – each evoking a unique aesthetic experience.
Other artists and designers exhibited in the show include Maarten Baas, Tiarra Bell, Batten & Kamp, Aki+Arnaud Cooren, Ingrid Donat, DRIFT, Vincent Dubourg, Martin Eisler, Carlo Hauner, Thibault Hazelzet, Pierre Jeanneret, Harry Nuriev, Line Vautrin, Giacomo Ravagli, Charles Trevelyan and Robert Stadler.
Displayed together, the works underscore the capacity of contemporary design to move beyond pure utility and towards more expansive and affective dimensions. The exhibition showcases playful and instinctive design languages, celebrating light, vibrancy, color and texture, while engaging viewers through both visual and emotional resonance.
