Siegfried Contemporary is excited to pair two designers, Paola Petrobelli and Richard Woods, in its new exhibition, AURORA, at Chalet Mittelgässli from February 3rd to March 5th.
Both artists have shown at Siegfried Contemporary in London last year, their work comes together in AURORA to create a vibrant and stirring environment that nods to past classic design with a contemporary twist.
Petrobelli has from the onset of her career worked exclusively with Murano Glass and its famed Venetian artisans. She is interested in the simplicity and functionality of glass, combining sensuous shapes and architectural line with sophisticated colour.
She has been commissioned by Wallpaper Magazine, Christian Dior and Peroni and collaborated with Gallery Libby Sellers, Perimeter Art and Design and Nilufar. Her work has been shown at the Triennale Design Museum, Salone Del Mobile Milano, The London Design Festival, and at fairs including Design Miami/Basel and the Pavillion of Art.
In Aurora, Petrobelli will be showcasing glass lamps from her “24” series, as well as introducing a new design, “24.2”, created especially for this exhibition.
Petrobelli’s sophisticated modular construction system follows a disciplined architectural agenda, moulded geometric forms are rigorously conceived to stack one above each other, each layer can be reordered and swapped to create innumerable different forms and colourways.
Similarly Wood’s signature woodblock prints characterise his architectural installations; he has likened his bright palette to the plastic-like colours of his parents' garish 1970s decor. Often executed on his studio floor, he creates graphic textures such as bricks, stones and wood grain. Despite being known for architectural installations, Woods views his work “in terms of surfaces” rather than sculpting. In AURORA, Woods will be showing a set of “tree stumps” that he has purposely designed for this exhibition.
Richard Woods graduated from the Slade School of Fine Art, London in 1990, where he trained as a sculptor. Woods is well known for his architectural installations and re-surfacing of structures that propose an absurd twist on the cult of home improvement and DIY aesthetics. His works are characterised by cartoon-like decorative surfaces, bold patterns and vibrant colours.
His works are held in major collections including the Saatchi Collection, London; Arts Council England, London; Victoria and Albert Museum; London; British Museum, London and the Museum of Modern Art, New York.
