The new furniture series, ‘Archeo Black,’ that Italian interior architect/sculptor/designer Vincenzo de Cotiis has created for Carpenters Workshop Gallery embodies contradictions, standing on the line between the polished and the rough, the new and the ancient, the elegant and the raw, the perfection and the imperfection, reflecting his fascination with the notion of the passing time. The forms are reminiscent of the work of Gio Ponti, though stretched into asymmetrical, expressive compositions, while the materials and the fresh way of combining them are De Cotiis’ regular signature. To him, material always plays a central role in the narrative of the object, as he constantly utilizes those materials that show the signage of time: oxidized metals, salvaged wood, reclaimed leather, recycled fiberglass. It is those materials that have become his tools in creating a sense of time that passed. De Cotiis has become known for the interiors that he didd for Milan’s luxurious stores, and particularly that of Excelsior Milano, an old cinema converted by Jean Nouvel. Just like in his furniture, his interiors promote the aesthetics of raw, rough materials, exposed stone, aged concrete, wheathered metal. In the new collection, the pieces are all in black, white, and shades of gray, crafted of painted glass, ceramic accents, marble, resin, and stones. The exhibition opens this week at the New York location of Carpenters Workshop Gallery.
