The notion of the ‘home’ has been of a great interest to me as a design historian, educator, collector, and as a person who perceives the home as the most substantial form of our identities and family life. With COVID-19, we have all become more intimate with our homes, more interested, more connecting to the place which we call ‘home,’ because it has become our sanctuary, a place of refuge and security, when the world has become full of uncertainties and fears.
This intriguing theme is the subject of a new and ambitious exhibition “2020: It’s Good to be Home”, at Gallery FUMI in London. Staged by British designer Gemma Holt, who transformed the two floors of the Mayfair-based Gallery into one stylish home, the exhibition was furnished with crafted contemporary pieces of furniture and lightings. They were specially commissioned for the show, and created by such artists as Max Lamb, Glithero, Study O Portable, Voukenas Petrides, and Sam Orlando Miller, represented by FUMI. “I want to make a cocoon-like space – soft, quiet and neutral, to reflect the quiet, calming pleasures of being at home,” Holt describes her intentions in the project.
The exhibition has another outcome, which is no less important. It showcases how the ‘contemporary’ shapes the interior through the filter of the work represented by FUMI. Since opening their gallery, first at their home, before moving to the current premises, Sam and Valerio have focused on artists whose work represents a strong interest in materials and processes, and who create the conception and the narrative of objects through skilled craftsmanship. While the pieces stand on their own through the power of craft and storytelling, this exhibition brings each one of them an extra dimension as they play a role in the curated interior.
This intriguing theme is the subject of a new and ambitious exhibition “2020: It’s Good to be Home”, at Gallery FUMI in London. Staged by British designer Gemma Holt, who transformed the two floors of the Mayfair-based Gallery into one stylish home, the exhibition was furnished with crafted contemporary pieces of furniture and lightings. They were specially commissioned for the show, and created by such artists as Max Lamb, Glithero, Study O Portable, Voukenas Petrides, and Sam Orlando Miller, represented by FUMI. “I want to make a cocoon-like space – soft, quiet and neutral, to reflect the quiet, calming pleasures of being at home,” Holt describes her intentions in the project.
The exhibition has another outcome, which is no less important. It showcases how the ‘contemporary’ shapes the interior through the filter of the work represented by FUMI. Since opening their gallery, first at their home, before moving to the current premises, Sam and Valerio have focused on artists whose work represents a strong interest in materials and processes, and who create the conception and the narrative of objects through skilled craftsmanship. While the pieces stand on their own through the power of craft and storytelling, this exhibition brings each one of them an extra dimension as they play a role in the curated interior.
The exhibition will be open through the end of the year. All photos courtesy Gallery FUMI.
ALEX HULL Line Bench, 2020 Hand forged bronze H66 / W263 / D47 CM H30″ / W103.6″ / D18.6″ (AHU015)
Casey McCafferty Cairn Chair, 2020 Green Soap Stone, Oiled Walnut H102 / W97 / D69 CM H40.2″ / W38.2″ / D27.2″ (CMC001)
Tuomas Markunpoika Contra Naturam Floor Light, 2020 Unique Tadelakt Plaster, Polystyrene, LED H187 / W102 / D39 CM H73.7″ / W40.2″ / D15.4″ (TMA030)
