Jean-Baptiste Fastrez’s “Vivarium” at Galerie kreo, London
newsdepo.com
“Vivarium,” a new body of work by Jean-Baptiste Fastrez, comprising furniture and objects, delicately inspired by wild animals, is on view at the London venue of Galerie kreo.According to the gallery, in his subtle work of representation, which he approacJean-Baptiste Fastrez’s “Vivarium” at Galerie kreo, London
“Vivarium,” a new body of work by Jean-Baptiste Fastrez, comprising furniture and objects, delicately inspired by wild animals, is on view at the London venue of Galerie kreo.According to the gallery, in his subtle work of representation, which he approaches with a distanced gaze, we recognize each animal by a clue, as so many enigmas to resolve in order to affirm a familiar but never blaring presence. The exhibition runs through July 27, 2019. “The mirror sinuous curve resembles a snake, the green marble from the Alps evokes crocodile skin and the console ‘paissandre bleuette’ marble recalls pachyderm hide,” says the gallery. In his works, Fastrez mixes natural and synthetic materials. Corian is combined with natural stone, the anodized aluminum pendants and the polycarbonate lampshade of the “Medusa” lamp seem to have just risen from the waters.His work on animal textures follows his “Mask mirror” collection with frames in acetate looking like horn and tortoise shell, which marked the gallery’s first collaboration with Fastrez seven years ago. “Since then, zoomorphism has continued to permeate his work as a designer from his butterfly glasses to his beetle vase, and he endeavours to synthesise animality without any folklore,” says the gallery.“Vivarium” is rooted in the 1930s and especially into Jean Dunand’s work, providing a more abstract and contemporary version. There is a rediscovered balance between rationality and free forms, abstraction and narration in which Fastrez navigates with humour and subtlety, with a certain welcoming irony.After collaborating for three years with Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec, Jean-Baptiste Fastrez has been designing for different brands such as Moustache, the Manufacture de Sevres, Kvadrat and Tai Ping since 2011, when he opened his own studio. He won several prizes including the Grand Prize du Jury de la Design Parade at Villa Noailles, the Wallpaper Design Award for his “Scarabee” vase. Since 2012, Galerie kreo has been producing several of his works in limited editions: the “Mask mirror” collection, the “Etna” coffee tables and the “Egypt” vase collection.His work has been presented in various thematic exhibitions at VIA in Paris, at Mudac in Lausanne, at Grand Hornu in Belgium and at the Museum of Art in Seoul. His works are part of the permanent collections of the Centre Pompidou and the Museum of Decorative Arts in Paris, the Villa Noailles in Hyeres as well as of the collection of the CNAP (Comite National des Arts Plastiques). The exhibition is on view through July 27, 2019, at Galerie kreo, 14A Hay Hill – London, W1J 8NZ – UK.For details, visit: https://www.blouinartinfo.com/galleryguide/galerie-kreo/overviewClick on the slideshow for a sneak peek at the exhibition. https://www.blouinartinfo.com/ Founder: Louise Blouin Read more