TRANSFORMATION AND REVIVAL OF NEW YORK’S OBSOLETE MONOFUNCTIONAL OFFICE BUILDINGS BY CHK ARCHITECTS

Actively addressing the office crisis of value-decreasing buildings in the post-covid era, CHK architects present an innovative solution for the changing working landscape with a new design proposal for the New York landmark office skyscraper, 1633 Broadway Adaptive Reuse also known as the Paramount Plaza.

May 4, 2023 (NYC) – CHYBIK + KRISTOF (CHK) present 1633 Broadway Adaptive Reuse, a prototype design solution for excess and vacant spaces due to the changing landscape of office culture throughout the United States. 1633 Broadway Adaptive Reuse, the historic 48-story office building located between 50th and 51st streets, and originally built in the early 1970s, has been transformed to meet the demands of the contemporary working and living dynamics in relation to the ever-present housing crisis in big cities. CHK’s design is marked by a unique structural system, innovative ideas related to sustainability, new internal forms, and building functions, and envisions a new life for the office building, proposing a completely functional neighborhood in a single skyscraper.

As a result of a two-year COVID-19 pandemic and massive turn to remote work, the busiest business areas in all major capitals around the US, such as New York, Chicago, San Francisco and Austin, have left many iconic office skyscrapers vacant. With office attendance reported to be around 50-60%, many large companies are reducing their lease space and office footprint.As the biggest office market in the US with 540 million square feet of space, New York City has been facing an office crisis leaving empty office spaces in Midtown and downtown areas with availability at a record high, of 20.2%. The general estimate for the upcoming years is that the value of office buildings in the U.S. could plunge 39% or $454 billion.

Considering the disparity of excess amount of unused office spaces around the country and lack of housing, particularly affordable housing, the unique opportunity for the conversion of these spaces arises. With CHK’s expertise in transforming and refurbishing existing structures, the studio is focused on maximizing underutilized buildings to grow the expanding and ever-changing urban infrastructure, enhancing their use and adapting existing spaces effectively for the shift in office culture. CHK recognizes the change with a new way of living and working arising in major US cities, and responds with a soluble solution, adaptive reuse of vacant office skyscrapers, turned to mixed-use buildings including residential and shared spaces.

1633 Broadway Adaptive Reuse is the studio’s design proposal directly responding to the office crisis, honoring the legacy of the existing structure, adapting it and converting it to the needs of the 21st century. Demonstrating a unity of working and living spaces, the project sets a new precedent and typology for contemporary living within a major city actively addressing the paradigm shift of office culture.

The original building is strongly connected to New York's architecture and planning history paying homage to the revolutionary 20th century and New York’s iconic monofunctional office buildings. In order to preserve the building's well-known dark glass façade and honor its original design, the studio sustains its original exterior form, only adding a loggia with an additional glass facade within the inner perimeter, promoting thermal comfort. With the preservation of the exterior, CHK’s radical changes mark the interior itself, with every floor transformed into multiple apartments with shared spaces for various uses such as remote working, meeting areas or even just as a lounge. Being accessible for the residents at any time of the day, the shared spaces are essentially creating a lively community that connects beyond the traditional 9 am - 5 pm. With this fundamental transformation, CHK’s design bridges the connection from office life to active and sociable home life, altering it into an active part of the streetscape, essentially creating a neighborhood within a single skyscraper.

Marked by the versatility and flexibility of the floorplans, the building is based on a load-bearing structure consisting of a core, columns and a facade. The interior maze of shared spaces and apartments allows for a versatile layout, as all the partitions among the various spaces are designed to be easily dismantled and relocated. Complemented by a system of replaceable walls, every apartment becomes adaptable to the current resident's needs.

Responding to the climate and energy crisis, CHK re-uses much of the older materials for a new purpose minimizing waste and promoting sustainable design choices, such as utilizing used, shredded carpets for acoustic insulation in the shared spaces, using doors from previous office units to be ground, repainted and re-used, replacing facade elements as kitchen partition system walls. Complementing the environmental sustainability focus, CHK incorporates different intelligent technologies and systems into the building system such as sunblind elements to reduce overheating, cross-ventilation through common areas, ventilated double facade skin and effective water management on the green rooftop to irrigate the vegetation and mitigate the heat island effect. 

“As we seek to bring Broadway 1633 back to its former glory by honoring its legacy, we adapt it to reflect the new reality of hybrid work, effectively to the needs of the 21st century,” says CHK co-founder Ondrej Chybik.

In its essence, the design of the project showcases a novel idea to utilize existing spaces in line with the constantly changing world. Connecting central topics of affordable housing, change of office dynamics, climate and energy crisis, CHK sets a new hybrid typology within the thin line of office and home life fit for the 21st century, crafting a new lifestyle seamlessly adapting to the post-covid era.

NOTES TO EDITORS:

About CHYBIK + KRISTOF

CHYBIK + KRISTOF is an architecture and urban design practice founded in 2010 by Ondrej Chybik and Michal Kristof. Operating with 60+ international team members and offices in Prague, Brno, and Bratislava, the practice aims at creating bridges between private and public space, transcending generations and societal spheres. Taking into account local histories and environmental specificities, the studio works on a wide array of projects, ranging from urban developments to public and residential buildings. Recent projects include: the Czech Pavilion at Expo 2015 (Milan, Italy), Lahofer Winery (CZ), Zvonarka bus station (CZ), Multipurpose arena in Jihlava (CZ), Ostrava Tower (CZ), Sugar Factory (CZ), and Municipal Affordable Housing (CZ). The studio has been awarded a number of prizes, including the 2019 Design Vanguard Award from Architectural Record, and was recently amongst the European Centre for Architecture Art Design and Urban Studies 2019 40 Under 40 Award winners.

chybik-kristof.com

Image credits:
Image 1. Broadway 1633 Adaptive Reuse_render. Courtesy of CHYBIK + KRISTOF.

Image 2. Broadway 1633 Adaptive Reuse_render. Courtesy of CHYBIK + KRISTOF.

Image 3. Broadway 1633 Adaptive Reuse_render. Courtesy of CHYBIK + KRISTOF.

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NADINE SCHEMMANN UNVEILS NEW SOLO EXHIBITION | ‘NO UNIVERSE AMONG US’ – AN ENDLESS ARCHIVE OF MEMORIES BOUND IN EXPRESSIVE COLOR

The artist's first solo show in Switzerland at Gallery Ann Mazzotti in Basel will present over 12 new paintings reflecting the fragility of interpersonal relationships through distinctive color painting, a sensory visual language on linen canvas.

On view through June 26, 2023

May 3, 2023 (Basel, Switzerland) – Contemporary Berlin-based artist Nadine Schemmann announces ‘No Universe Among Us’ at Gallery Ann Mazzotti in Basel on view through June 26, 2023.

The exhibition marks the artist's first solo show in Switzerland, following the strand of her expressive textile paintings exhibition at Haverkampf Leistenschneider Gallery in Berlin in February 2023. Coinciding with Art Basel, the exhibition will present over 12 new works of Schemmann’s distinguishable large-scale stretched and unstretched sewed linen canvases as well as two site-specific installations, one specially created for the gallery’s interior and the other one gracing its exterior. These new paintings are Schemmann’s continuation of her visual color diary, a distinctly personal technique connected to her view and expression of people, situations and things.

Nadine Schemmann's works are a representation of encounters, conversations and lived moments. In her sculptures and pictures, she assembles the components, which constitute an encounter: the sounds, feelings and colors. For this purpose, she first dyes or bleaches fabrics, which she then sews together to the desired size. At times, the edges of the fabric thereby created already structure Schemmann’s working surface, set boundaries, while announcing the upcoming encounters, namely the color on the linen fabric. On the processed canvases, commonly located on the floor, Schemmann shoots ink, diluted oil paint, and chlorine bleach. The dispersing paint and the bleach tend to create two or multiple spheres, which converge on the fabric. While sometimes approaching each other, at other times they surround each other or merge until it is no longer possible to tell where one color begins and the other ends. The fabrics are not always stretched on frames. Often, they hang openly in the room. In this way, the loosened and the stretched conditions complete each other. Thus, the moment of an encounter is not static, but contingent; it moves and respires, even after the oeuvre’s finalization. In the process, the elusive moment of an encounter becomes tangible. This moment, which is always about closeness, distance, boundaries, and how these can be subject to transgression.

From a formal perspective, Schemmann’s textile tableaus relate to the Color Field Painting. Unlike Mark Rothko or Helen Frankenthaler’s oeuvre, however, to which Schemmann’s work seems to refer at first glance, her paintings do not originate from space or landscape itself, but from the space-in-between resulting from two people’s encounters. Her paintings are therefore about the voids, which remain free of color restricted through cutting edges and seams. It is precisely these interstices, at which the intention to depict an encounter emerges most clearly. As per the religious philosopher Martin Buber, the encounter is significant in the distinction of the human being human. The encounter lies the foundation for the dialogue and without dialogue there is no connection between people. "All human life is about confrontation," says Buber, and instead of willing to change or convince the other, the attempt to understand him or her in depth is what life is all about. "When we stop interacting, it is as if we stop breathing", he writes. It is this interspace, which can hardly be nominated and yet, from which everything originates. These encounters present themselves in Schemmann's work in the most diverse ways. Sometimes they are green, black, brown - depending on how she remembers them. This makes each work a moment of pause and recognition of the encounter as the deepest and most honest form of dialogue.

Nadine Schemmann was born in 1977 and lives and works in Berlin. Having started as an illustrator, Schemmann has found her own artistic practice, which is constantly evolving. Her works have been exhibited in solo and group shows at Schlossgut Schwante, Kunsthaus Lempertz, Studio Berlin, BittelvonJenisch Hamburg and Haverkampf Leistenschneider Berlin, among others. This is her first solo exhibition in Switzerland.

NOTES TO EDITORS:

‘No Universe Among Us’ is on view at Gallery Ann Mazotti in Basel through June 26, 2023.

Gallery Ann Mazzotti

Horburgstr. 80

CH-4057 Basel

www.annmazzotti.com

Image Credits:
Installation View ‘No Universe Among Us’ by Nadine Schemmann. Courtesy of Nadine Schemmann.

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TAKING A CROSS-CULTURAL APPROACH TO PERFORMANCE NIKA PROJECT SPACE UNVEILS EXHIBITION ‘CODED GESTURES’

Opening on May 4, 2023, the second exhibition on view at NIKA Project Space brings together conceptual artists from non-Western regions, probing the correlation between post-Soviet and hyper-capitalist societies through key themes of alienation, artistic labor and repetitive gestures.

On View: May 4 – July 16, 2023

April 24, 2023 (Dubai, UAE) – NIKA Project Space, Dubai’s new art and culture platform, presents its second exhibition ‘Coded Gestures’ on view from May 4 – July 16, 2023. Curated by art critic and researcher Nadine Khalil, the exhibition follows the gallery’s mission of supporting cross-cultural dialogues, pairing artists from Central and East Asia with local UAE-based artists. The works, ranging from sculpture to video and photography, function as apparatuses for understanding the context of gestures hidden behind individual processes and collective structures.

Rooted in society's shared experiences, the exhibition gives voice to artists from non-Western regions, finding a common language across seemingly divergent backgrounds and traditions shaped by multinational local contexts.

The new 250 m2 industrial space designed by T.ZED Architects, presents the works of five conceptual artists: Alexander Ugay based in Almaty, Kazakhstan, Minja Gu based in Seoul, South Korea, along with UAE-based artists Fatma Al Ali, Mona Ayyash and Khalid. These contemporary artists translate the creative gesture into a means of invisible labor, exploring it as a source of repetitive vocabularies, ultimately becoming a compelling way to look at the disciplining of bodies and forms. Distilling the idea of labor from a broader social lens to an artistic one, with its varied manifestations of alienation, the exhibition connects the idea of psychological absence with the presence and absence of the body in performance, ultimately questioning the core notion of labor itself.

The exhibition will open with a live performance of Minga Gu's House Tea de la Maison de la Casa, 2023, a tea ceremony in which the artist invites all viewers to hundreds of tea infusions, invoking the role of participatory exchange. It is presented alongside the documentation of a recent site-specific act of tea-making the artist performed in the UAE with the local community, commissioned by NIKA Project Space.

From memorized movements of Korean labor migrants in post-Soviet states seen in the video More than a Hundred Thousand Times (2019-20) to AI-generated imagery indexing major historical events affecting the Korean diaspora (Unknown Return, 2023), Alexander Ugay tackles social alienation through imaginaries and archives. His works are fittingly positioned near Fatma Al Ali’s meticulously stacked bricks, My mother told me not to collect bricks (2020), which upon closer look, reveal disparities and the embedded relationship between individual and collective systems.

“The artists in this exhibition bear witness to their changing societies, captured through daily movements. They use visual and algorithmic languages to index invisible histories, from the 1937 Korean deportation to Central Asia to a sports event that never happened,” says curator Nadine Khalil. “As we looked deeper into the works proposed by Alexander and Minja, we found that an interesting thread emerges between post-Soviet and hyper- capitalist societies, linking them in terms of consumerism, excess and residual form,” Khalil continues.

Specifically commissioned for the show, Khalid’s piece, my job is to look at the sunset, 2023, which is an incessant documentation of daily sunsets printed in real time and mounted in the gallery throughout the 44 days, documenting the artist’s habitual practice. In a similar vein, two other takes on repetition are presented with Minja Gu’s 11-hour documentation of her version of a marathon done in two days in 42.195 (2006) and Mona Ayyash’s pixelated video, Trampoline (2015) featuring athletes preparing for their jumps, over and over again. Following the gallery's focus on showing lesser known female artists, founder Veronika Berezina explains further: “These are the kinds of conversations I was interested in bringing to light when I opened NIKA Project Space, especially with women artists who should be more widely recognized.”

UAE-based Lebanese curator of the show Nadine Khalil further comments on Veronika's fresh lens on Dubai: "Veronika has a deeply considered approach to contemporary art practices. For example, we first connected over the work of a female artist in the Sharjah Biennial who presented fermented fruit as part of her project on lost histories in Palestine. Since then, there has been a synergy between our interests in research- driven performance art in different contexts. The conversations between different artists in the show have evolved out of our own exchanges and her commendable vision of linking lesser-known regions of the world."

Following the thread of conceptually driven performance art, NIKA becomes a space for a daring, boundary- pushing approach that carves a new path for experimental art forms in Dubai.

NOTES TO EDITORS:

‘Coded Gestures’ will be on view at NIKA Project Space from May 4 – July 16, 2023.

Address:
NIKA Project Space
Al Khayat Avenue, Unit 11, 19th Street Road – Al Quoz 1 First Al Khail Street, Dubai, UAE

About NIKA Project Space:
Founded in 2023 by Veronika Berezina, NIKA Project Space is a platform for artistic experiments, research and the advancement of curatorial practice in Dubai. Engaged in supporting cross-cultural exchange, NIKA Project Space promotes emerging and increasingly established artists from the Middle East and internationally through a variety of art exhibitions and initiatives. Emphasizing contemporaneity and multicultural dialogue, the space provides a critically engaged program with a focus on conceptualization, abstraction, and philosophical inquiry with a strongattention tothe works of female artists.With a daring and boundary-pushing approach to contemporary art, NIKA encourages exchange and dialogue with a range of artistic mediums, including performance, painting, photography, sculpture, installation and the digital realm. Through an interest in investigative research and experimental creative processes, NIKA invites international artists to Dubai, encouraging further dialogue across cultures and the exploration of international artistic practicelocally, elevating a global vision. NIKA’s new 250 square meters space is located in the new Al Khayat Avenue in Dubai’s industrial Al Quoz district.

About Veronika Berezina:
Veronika Berezina, the founder of NIKA Project Space, was born in Saint Petersburg, Russia. After working as a tax lawyer for several years, Berezina turned to her passion for art and further developed her interest in emerging contemporary artists in St. Petersburg and internationally. This increasing curiosity in contemporary art led her to more active engagement and roles as an avid art collector and notably a patron of the Garage Museum of Contemporary Art in Moscow. Seeing the potential and opportunities in a multicultural Dubai, Berezina founded an art platform focused on cross-cultural dialogue for artists from around the world, particularly Asia, the Middle East, Africa, and Europe, enriching the collective experiences and perceptions of art internationally. With NIKA, Berezina has created a space where art speaks a language that goes beyond national borders and creativity becomes a transcendent means to bring diverse cultures together.

About Nadine Khalil:
Nadine Khalil is an independent art critic, editor and researcher, curator. She is currently researching the body as an expanded site of performance and labour in the Gulf and Mediterranean region. After a decade-long stint in art publishing, she advises art institutions such as the Ishara Art Foundation, Goethe-Institut and the NYUAD Arts Center on editorial strategy, content development and publications. She is the former editor of Dubai-based contemporary art magazine, Canvas (2017-2020) and the Beirut-based magazines A mag and Bespoke (2010- 2016). Her writing can be found in Art Agenda, Art Forum, The Art Newspaper, Artnet, Art Review Asia, Artsy, Broadcast, Brooklyn Rail, FT Arts, Frieze, Ocula and the Women’s Review of Books. She has authored a series of artist monographs (Paroles d'Artistes) on Lebanese artists Samir Sayegh, Hanibal Srouji and the late filmmaker Jocelyne Saab, and curated for European film festivals such as MidEast Cut and the Arab Independent Film Festival.

About Mona Ayyash:
Mona Ayyash (b. 1987, Kuwait City) is a Palestinian visual artist, raised in Dubai. Her practice focuses on repetition, memorisation, slowness, and boredom. She holds an MFA in Studio Arts from Concordia University in Montreal, Canada. Her work was exhibited at the Jameel Art Centre in 2021 and in Maraya Art Center, as part of the UAE Unlimited programme in 2019. She took part in the homebound residency with 421 in 2020 and was an artist-in-residence at the Alserkal Residency for their Fall 2017 cycle. She has participated in several group exhibitions such as, ‘The Distance from Here’ at Hayy Jameel, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia in 2022, ‘Tashweesh’ at Maraya Art Centre, Sharjah, UAE in 2019 and ‘Loaning Sister Cities’ at Casino Artspace, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada in 2016.

About Fatma Al Ali:
Fatma Al Ali (b.1994, UAE) is a multidisciplinary artist who explores diverse themes such as perception, materiality, memory, weight, and tension in her artwork. She examines societal constraints and the human condition while paying close attention to the form and texture of her creations. Her approach is marked by a delicate balance between strength and delicacy, and she often challenges conventional notions of what materials can be used for. Al Ali earned a Bachelor's degree in Fine Arts from the University of Sharjah in 2018 and was awarded the Salama int Hamdan Emerging Artist Fellowship (SEAF) program in 2019, a collaboration with Rhode Island School of Design. Her work has been showcased in several group exhibitions, including ‘Getting over the color green’ at Alserkal Avenue, Dubai a collaboration with Engage101, 2023, Sikka, Dubai, 2023, ‘Community and Critique’ at Warehouse421, Abu Dhabi in 2020, ‘Printmaking Exposium’ at 4bid gallery, Netherlands in 2019, ‘Exit: Extension’ at the Maraya Art Center, Sharjah, UAE in 2018.

About Minja Gu:
Minja Gu (b. 1977, Korea). Minja Gu’s work is based on personal performances that observe and question daily behaviors, which in turn are projected through various media including photography, video, installation, and drawing. She majored in painting at Hongik University and philosophy at Yonsei University and received a Master’s degree in Fine Arts from the Korea National University of Arts. She participated in the SSamzie Space studio program in Seoul, the Hangar Residency for artists in Barcelona, the International Studio & Curatorial Program at ISCP in NYC, and the HISK program in Ghent from 2015–2016. She received the award of excellence by the Songeun Art Award in 2010. Selected solo exhibitions include ‘Identical Times’ at Croft Gallery, Seoul, Korea, in 2009, ‘Atlantic-Pacific co.’ at Moore Street Market, New York in 2011, and ‘Inside the Belly of Monstro’ at Citadellaan 7, Ghent in 2018. Gu has participated in numerous group exhibitions, including the Taipei Biennale at Taipei Fine Arts Museum in 2008 and New Visions New Voices at National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Gwacheon in 2013. In 2018, Gu was selected as one of the four sponsored artists for the Korea Artist Prize, an annual award and exhibition co-organized by MMCA and SBS Foundation.

About Khalid:
Khalid (b. 1996, Dubai) is an artist, walking, running, cycling and driving. He examines the materiality of everyday objects and coaxes out their metaphoric potential. Through fabricating receipts, playing with street cats, composing fictional tours and stealing corporate pens, he dissects ironies embedded in his everyday surroundings. What begins as an arbitrary flânerie, develops into a methodical formula that addresses philosophical and phenomenological, revealing the spatial, poetic relationships between his subjects and their frangible correlation to human beings. Khalid is an alumnus of programs Salama bint Hamdan Emerging Artists Fellowship and Campus Art Dubai 7.0 with previous group shows in Yorkshire, Jeddah and Abu Dhabi.

About Alexander Ugay:
The third-generation of Koryoin (ethnic Korean in the former Soviet Union), Alexander Ugay (b. 1978, Kazakhstan) uses photography, video, and collage to document stories about individuals and groups, migration histories, nostalgia originating in past experience, and places where past and future coexist. In the 2000s, he produced his “cinema-object” series of short films shot on 8mm and 16mm cameras produced during the Soviet era; since 2017, he has created his own “obscuratons,” devices based on the pinhole camera approach that he uses for artistic series in which he locates historically and ideologically important settings in order to capture spatial and temporal continua. His major solo exhibitions include ‘Topology of Image’ at Aspan Gallery, Almaty in 2018 and ‘More than an Image, Less than an Object’ at Galeria Labirynt, Lublin in 2017. Ugay has shown his work at the Busan Biennale of Contemporary Art in 2022, Art Sonje Center in Seoul in 2020, Sapar Contemporary in New York in 2019, Lunds Konsthall in Sweden in 2018, and Garage Museum of Contemporary Art in Moscow in 2016. His work is part of international private and public collections. The latter includes Van Abbemuseum, Eindhoven, Netherlands; Centre Pompidou, Paris; Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam; Galeria Labirynt, Lublin, Poland; National Museum of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Astana and Lunds Konsthall, Lund, Sweden.

Image Credits:
1.Minja Gu. Inside the Belly of Monstro. Video Still. 2015-2023. Courtesy of the artist.

2.Alexander Ugay. Unknown Return. Various dimensions. 2023. Courtesy of the artist.

3.Mona Ayyash. Trampoline.Single channel digital video. 2015. Courtesy of the artist.

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AFRICAN ARTISTS’ FOUNDATION PRESENTS ‘A PILGRIM’S JOURNEY; THROUGH THE SHADES OF YELLOW,’ THE DEBUT SOLO EXHIBITION OF NIGERIAN ARTIST JOHNSON OCHEJA

Opening on April 22, 2023, Nigerian artist Johnson Ocheja’s first solo show, brings together a series of spirited paintings exploring happiness as a journey of noble curiosity.

On View: April 22 – May 20, 2023

April 21, 2023 (Lagos, Nigeria) – Lagos-based African Artists’ Foundation (AAF), a non-profit organization and art space, unveils A Pilgrim’s Journey; Through the Shades of Yellow, the latest series of works by emerging Nigerian artist Johnson Ocheja. Marking his first-ever solo exhibition following a two-week artist residency at AAF Headquarters in April 2023, the exhibition is on view from April 22 – May 20, 2023, at the Alliance Française de Lagos and the AAF Headquarters, Lagos, Nigeria. Curated by Princess Ayoola, the exhibition echoes the artist's creative journey and immortalization of his reoccurring subjects through a vibrant explosion of yellow hues. This exhibition aligns with AAF's artist development initiatives, directly supporting the foundation's mission of fostering and aiding emerging African artists through solo exhibitions.

The dual-location exhibition showcases 12 large-scale paintings by Ocheja and in the collaborative spirit of the AAF and the local artist community, it will also present collaborative works by Ocheja and four other artists, creating opportunities for collaboration and community engagement by employing diverse forms of displaying work to enhance audience interaction.

For his solo debut, Johnson Ocheja makes his muse the pilgrim archetype. The exhibitiondepicts a series of portraits, mesmerizing and saturating his canvas through an intense reiteration of the color yellow as an emblem of happiness and bliss. The artist's subjects are depicted in their gardens of pure delight, enjoying the fruits of their life journey irrespective of the simplicity of their physical reality. The title of the exhibition finds its roots in Ocheja’s pursuit of a symbolic quest, the ultimate journey of the artist, seeking a safe, often solitary space envisaged as a pilgrim’s journey to bliss. The pilgrim is typically associated with religious iconography, but the pilgrim is really anyone who seeks a deeper sense of purpose and significance in life. This questing is part of Ocheja’s journey.

Marking significant symbolism, representing felicity, possibilities, and hope, each shade of yellow, from a lighter and spirited hue to a deeper and more muddy tone, resonates deeply with the artist’s personal journey. Yellow is Ocheja’s safe color. Although the human body is the primary element in this body of work, Ocheja emphasizes the subjects’ internal worlds through various shades of yellow, elevating it beyond its aesthetic code and becoming a symbolic portal into the experience of individual and collective happiness.

Foliage in these portraits serves as a recurring motif of vitality and connectedness to life sources, nature and abundance. It is a reference to our greatest desire for space, space to be, to roam, to wonder and wander. The presence of religious symbolism is an attempt to revive spiritual connections in a society that often overlooks spirituality in favour of materiality. Furthermore, in this exhibition, Ocheja uses the pilgrim archetype to reference pilgrims of old—Hindus, Buddhists and Christians alike—for whom the colour yellow symbolizes knowledge, enlightenment and spiritual growth. Thus, he elevates happiness to sacred contemplation.

In truth, Ocheja’s characters are not so much striving for happiness as they are already in their gardens of pure bliss, enjoying the fruits of their journey irrespective of the simplicity of their physical reality. Moments of domestic life are captured in Ocheja’s paintings as visual journal entries, reminding us that like a pilgrim, we must retain a journey-oriented mindset by shifting away from the romanticisation of the destination, to focus on the people and social relationships that make the destination tangible and rewarding. Again, we are reminded that happiness is not just an individual pursuit but a shared experience that brings people together and uplifts those who are struggling. It is a journey of noble curiosity.

For the opening of A Pilgrim's Journey; Through the Shades of Yellow, Ocheja has partnered with fellow artists to present collaborative works:

Ibi Írántí

Lagos-based drummer, performance artist, and community art curator, Goodluck Babatunde Ọlọ́runjedálọ, known as Jedálọ, will perform at the African Artists' Foundation in honor of Ocheja's exhibit. His performance, titled Ibi Írántí (memory place), interprets Johnson's vision in two cycles. This musical piece uses African drumming to explore human connections and memories in society. The performance features site-specific sounds and engages the audience, allowing Jedálọ to connect with people and spaces through his art.

The Girl on the Swing

Johnson Ocheja has invited Samuel Semako to collaborate on a painting titled 'The Girl on the Swing.' Samuel Semako Vittu is a Lagos-based artist whose style cuts across contemporary portraiture and anthropomorphism, using his art to promote self-awareness and infuse human consciousness into non-human life forms. This experiment explores the theme of happiness through the fusion of their creative energies, thus the produced artwork represents the joyful union of artistic minds. Drawing inspiration from Yoruba folklore, Semako employs anthropomorphism as a means to discuss modern trends and issues.

Of Pathways, Pilgrims, and Sources

Afeez and Atẹ́rẹ́ will be creating ceramic works entitled ‘Of Pathways, Pilgrims, and Sources’. The artwork conveys that there is no single ‘right’ path in life; instead, the journey shapes us as individuals. It highlights the importance of staying connected to beliefs, hopes, and communities for guidance and support. It encourages embracing unique experiences and trusting in the process of self-discovery.

Adeoti Azeez Afeez (b. 1998) and Olúbúnmi Atẹ́rẹ́ (b. 1991) are Nigerian ceramicists. Afeez, a Yaba College of Technology graduate, specializes in sgraffito and has participated in group exhibitions like Beyond Limit 2022 and LIMCAF 2022. Atẹ́rẹ́, a former communications professional, debuted as a ceramicist in 2022 and uses carvings and abstract inscriptions to create complex surfaces. Winner of the Dr Pius Okigbo prize at LIMCAF 2022, her works have been exhibited internationally. Both artists explore clay as a means of expression and communication.

Performance by Laisa Layode McGrath

Laisa Layode McGrath is a versatile African creative, design and creative thinking tutor, and fashion broker. In 2021, she launched her spiritual and immersive singing career, delving into African heritage through sound. McGrath will deliver a performance that blends Catholic-Latin hymns with African spiritual sounds, centered on her interpretation of Ocheja's theme.

In line with AAF’s community outreach and engagement efforts, the foundation presents solo exhibitions featuring artists who have participated in the foundation’s projects over the years. This includes artists such as Ayanfe Olarinde and Emma Odumade, who have previously held solo exhibitions, as well as the upcoming solo exhibit by Kingsley Ayogu. Through this approach, the AAF not only supports the growth of emerging African artists but also cultivates a dynamic and inclusive artistic community where collaboration, engagement, and innovation are celebrated and encouraged.

NOTES TO EDITORS:

‘A Pilgrim’s Journey; Through the Shades of Yellow’ will be on view at Alliance Française de Lagos and the AAF Headquarters, Lagos, Nigeria from April 22 – May 20, 2023.

Exhibition opening ceremony:

Alliance Française de Lagos | 4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.

AAF Headquarters | 8:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m.

Opening Hours:

Alliance Française de Lagos

Monday to Friday: 10:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.

Saturday: 10:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.

AAF Headquarters

Tuesday to Friday: 10:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.

Saturday: 11:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.

Address:

Alliance Française de Lagos, Nigeria

9 Osborne Rd, Ikoyi 106104, Lagos, Nigeria

African Artists' Foundation

3b Isiola Oyekan Close,

Off Adeleke Adedoyin street,

Off Kofo Abayomi street,

Victoria Island, Lagos, Nigeria

ABOUT JOHNSON OCHEJA:

Johnson Ocheja (b. 1993 in Kogi State Nigeria) is a Nigerian artist from an Igala speaking community. He paints detailed scenes of black subjects with blue pigment and also, with the impasto technique, he uses his fingers to produce marks on the skin of his subjects, inspired by the African cultural practice of scarification. His portraits highlight black consciousness and black beauty. He moved to Kaduna State at the age of three, and graduated from Kogi State University with a Bachelor's degree in Statistics. Living in two different states with different beautiful stories, culture and identity, as well as political, religious, ethnic, and racial issues, Johnson uses these matters in his work to discuss how they affect his community. Johnson Ocheja currently lives and works in Kaduna State.

ABOUT PRINCESS AYOOLA:

Princess Ayoola is a Creative Manager at African Artists’ Foundation (AAF). As a graduate of Engineering from the University of Lagos, she spent the early part of her professional career in the sciences and engineering sector. Her transition to the local art and culture space started when she joined the Lagos Photo Festival team as an intern in 2016. Since then, she has engaged in projects and workshops that border on photography, graphic design, writing, painting and so on, under the mentorship of Curator, Azu Nwagbogu. She was the Festival manager of the Lagos Photo Festival 2019, the first international photography festival in Africa, She strongly believes in the use of various art forms to address and effect change as it relates to personal, political and social issues. She lives and works in Lagos.

ABOUT AAF:

African Artists’ Foundation (AAF) founded in 2007, Lagos, Nigeria, is a decentralized, multivalent, metamorphic art space that embraces community values, experimental artistic principles in supporting boundary-breaking and artistic ideas. Over the years, AAF has evolved beyond the limiting shell of a non-profit, to embody an art space that is responsive, attuned to social justice issues, ecology, freedom, community initiatives by empowering creative expression.

AAF is dedicated to fostering a deeper understanding and appreciation of contemporary art, design, and culture through residencies, workshops, innovative exhibitions, and educational programs. We aim to further challenge and inspire our community, unearth and develop more talents while also promoting inclusiveness. Our goal is to be a dynamic and interactive space that sparks meaningful dialogue and encourages critical thinking, celebrates community programs and ultimately to become a change-maker through the power of art. Website | Instagram

Image Credits:
1.Johnson Ocheja, The Mind of a Child, 2023. Courtesy of Johnson Ocheja. 2.Johnson Ocheja, On Saturday, 2023. Courtesy of Johnson Ocheja.
3.Johnson Ocheja, My Friend Beside the Church, 2023. Courtesy of Johnson Ocheja.

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NON-PROFIT AFRICAN ARTISTS’ FOUNDATION ANNOUNCES 2023 PROGRAMMING EXPANDING THE ARTISTIC EXPRESSION OF ITS COMMUNITY

 African Artists’ Foundation announces a series of exhibitions and programming for 2023, with a rich expression of African art locally and internationally. AAF founder and director, Azu Nwagbogu, supports the organization's artistic community and creative impulse, introducing them to the international art stage through an inclusive art platform.

April 17, 2023 (Lagos, Nigeria) – Lagos-based African Artists’ Foundation (AAF), a non-profit organization and art space, unveils its rich programming for 2023. For over a decade, AAF has been empowering the African creative community, and its emerging and established artists through various programs in a dynamic and interactive space that sparks meaningful dialogue and encourages critical thinking.

AAF celebrates the 2023 season with a physical expansion to its new headquarters in Victoria Island, Lagos, marking a novel era for the organization towards the growth and strengthening of its initiatives empowering creative expression in Africa. AAF’s new location boasts two buildings, each intended to serve as its main base for a variety of upcoming new exhibitions, activities and residencies, strengthening its presence within the community. Following this growing enthusiasm and commitment to community values and experimental artistic principles, AAF announces a broad program of residencies, workshops, group and solo exhibitions, curatorial development, and educational programs in 2023 in Africa and beyond.

AAF continues to emphasize the importance of cultivating genuine partnerships and providing hands-on curatorial training through collaborative programs. These commitments showcase the organization's dedication to nurturing the next generation of thinkers, curators, and artists, aligning with the foundation's mission to foster and support the growth of creative professionals in the art world. By actively engaging with artists and other stakeholders, AAF strives to create a vibrant, interconnected community that empowers the next generation of creative professionals to thrive and make a lasting impact on the global arts landscape.

Azu Nwagbogu, Director and Founder of AAF, curator of the first-ever Benin Pavilion at La Biennale di Venezia 2024 and National Geographic Society’s Explorer at Large, strengthens AAF’s positioning as the leading voice and changemaker through the power of art in Africa and its diasporas, followed by his leading interest in evolving and recontextualizing new models of creative engagement.

INTERNATIONAL COLLABORATIONS (CURATORIAL DEVELOPMENT, DIVERSITY, EQUITY, & INCLUSION)

ANNUAL EXHIBITION | ‘Dig Where You Stand’

Date to be confirmed | Palais de Lomé, Togo

The second iteration of the traveling exhibition ‘Dig Where You Stand - From Coast to Coast’, will take place at the Palais de Lomé in Togo and other locations within Lomé. Following its inaugural exhibition in 2022 in several places including Savannah Centre for Contemporary Art (SCCA), Tamale, Ghana, and The African Artists’ Foundation, Lagos, Nigeria, ‘Dig Where You Stand’ explores the regenerative potential of art within the region and its diasporas, offering a new model of engagement with the questions of decolonization, restitution, and repatriation, both in the art world and the broader economy on the African continent. The artists and local communities explore the economies of the colonial systems that have historically marginalized vulnerable communities and find new methodologies in the art world, which reverse its value systems and return agency to exploited communities on the African continent. 2023 featured artists include: Bright Ackwerh, Sika Akpalo, Daté Kodjo Amouzou, Tété Azankpo, Renzo Martens & CATPC, Joana Choumali, Kwami Da Costa, Gustave Djonda, Dodji Efoui, Victor Ehikhamenor, Atisso Goha, Tessi Kodjovi, Léopold Ankude, Kossi Krampah, Michael MacGarry, Ibrahim Mahama, Zanele Muholi, Jerry Orlando, Hodin Segnon, and Thierry Tometi.

ANNUAL EXHIBITION | DIG WHERE YOU STAND

Date to be confirmed | AAF Headquarters, Lagos, Nigeria 

The third iteration of the traveling exhibition will take place at AAF headquarters in Lagos, Nigeria.

NIAN/AAF COLLABORATIVE EXCHANGE PROGRAM | “Written by us, Not about us: Reclaiming Art Histories & Developing Critical Discourse in Northern Ireland and Nigeria”

August 2022 – June 2023 | Virtual Writer’s Exchange Program

African Artists’ Foundation presents its ongoing project, "Written by us, Not about us: Reclaiming Art Histories & Developing Critical Discourse in Northern Ireland and Nigeria," a writer's exchange program in collaboration with the Northern Irish Art Network (NIAN) and funded by the British Council. This initiative aims to address the lack of critical discourse surrounding the arts, especially the visual arts, in Northern Ireland and Nigeria by bringing together writers, journalists, and curators from each country to engage in a collaborative program of mentoring, commissioning, and advocacy work. As part of the project, mentees will contribute a final written piece, which will be included in a publication to be launched at the Ulster Museum and African Artists’ Foundation in May/June 2023. Building on the collaboration with NIAN, the African Artists’ Foundation is also introducing a writers' residency program. Shortlisted writers will participate in a two-week in-person residency in April 2023 at the Alliance Française de Lagos, an important partner of the African Artists’ Foundation. The residency will conclude with a public event in Lagos, where the written work will be showcased and discussed.

AG18/AAF COLLABORATIVE EXHIBITION | ‘On the Fringe’

April 18 – June 3, 2023 | AG18 Gallery, Vienna, Austria

AAF in collaboration with AG18 Gallery, Vienna, unveils the exhibition ‘On the Fringe,’ which offers an avenue for reassessing the significance of the world that does not always meet the eye, positioning it as the starting point of our existential musings. In On the Fringe, the fortress of the human mind, once a zone of privacy and exclusion, with its unsearchable musings and proclivities, comes out of incognito and we are all invited, with convivial Yoruba greetings of ẹ kaabọ, to examine and confront the multiplicity and interactions of culture, choice, and identity—as we find them conspicuously displayed in not only the works of these ten artists but even more, in our empirical world. The audience will find that it is a dedication to life—with its vibrance and vitality, manifold forms, and complexities—that drives these contemporary African artists to create, share, and live through the canvas, in today’s world. Participating artists are Ayogu Kingsley, Boris Anje, Chinaza Nkemka, Damilola Opedun, David Olatoye, Emma Odumade, Johnson Ocheja, Michelle Okpare, Talut Kareem and Wasiu Eshinlokun.

LAGOSPHOTO FESTIVAL 2023 | ‘Ground State – fellowship within the uncanny'

October 27/28 - December 2023 | AAF Headquarters, Lagos, Nigeria + satellite venues

Launched in 2010, LagosPhoto is the first and only international arts festival of photography in Nigeria. During its month-long presentation, various events include exhibitions, workshops, artist presentations, discussions, screenings, and large-scale outdoor prints displayed throughout the city, to reclaim public spaces and showcase to the general public the multifaceted stories of Africa. LagosPhoto presents a contemporary and historical visual essay of the continent, to both a local and global audience. The festival fosters a community for contemporary photography, uniting local and international artists through photographs that encapsulate individual experiences and identities from across all of Africa. LagosPhoto presents and educates about photography through its connection with education, photojournalism, exploring historical and contemporary social issues, sharing cultural practices, and promoting social programs.

The 2023 iteration of the festival will be hosted in Lagos, Nigeria and Benin with a particular focus on restitution and cultural heritage. Building on the success of its previous editions, the festival travels to Benin for the first time, activating and invigorating its local art scene and vibrant cultural heritage with a week of talks, workshops and seminars around contemporary image-making, promoting meaningful conversations around restitution and its connection to contemporary photography. Lagos Photo Festival will showcase projects that explore the present moment and envision how repair, syncopation, putrefaction, restitution, and restoration will take place; challenging our own complicity in a culture of desire, founded on consumption and how to foster a fellowship of dynamic spiritual change, a rebirthing of the unimaginable. An open call for the LagosPhoto Festival 2023 invites emerging and established artists working with lens-based media to submit works that fit the theme, GROUND STATE – fellowship within the uncanny. The submission period takes place from April to June 2023.

FEMALE ARTIST DEVELOPMENT:

WOMEN’S SHOW IN COLLABORATION WITH AG18 GALLERY

Date and Location to be confirmed

AAF will continue its partnership with the AG18 Gallery located in Vienna, Austria with a second group exhibition focused solely on female artists. 

YOUTH EMPOWERMENT AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT:

ARTIST IN RESIDENCE (AIR) PROGRAM | Johnson Ocheja Artist Residency

April 1 - 18, 2023 | AAF Headquarters, Lagos, Nigeria 

In preparation for his solo exhibition at AAF, artist Johnson Ocheja will be part of the annual Artist-In-Residence program for two weeks. The program provides artists with a rich and diverse experience of Lagos, offering accommodation, studio space, and the materials necessary to create works of art for the designated period of their residency. The visiting artist has the opportunity to be involved in gallery activities and thus engage with other local and international artists. Following the completion of the residency, the exhibition of works produced will be held with specific support of the foundation. A catalog about the project will be published at the end of all residencies, encompassing the artists journeys and their mark on the community.

SOLO EXHIBITION | Johnson Ocheja | ‘A Pilgrim's Journey; Through the Shades of Yellow’

April 22 – May 20, 2023 | Alliance Française de Lagos, Nigeria

Following his participation in the ‘Artists in Residence Program’ at AAF’s headquarters, Nigerian artist Johnson Ocheja unveils his first solo exhibition ‘A Pilgrim's Journey; Through the Shades of Yellow,’ at the Alliance Française de Lagos, Nigeria. His works are deeply influenced by the notion of race, portraying and highlighting black consciousness and black beauty through a vibrant and colorful style. Frequently creating detailed scenes of black subjects with blue pigment skin symbolizing royalty, Ocheja uses the impasto technique with his fingers producing marks on the skin of his subjects inspired by scarification, an African cultural practice. Ocheja uses art as a storytelling tool to expose different beautiful stories, cultures, and political, religious, ethnic identity, and racial issues affecting his diverse community.

AAF GROUP EXHIBITION

September 2 – October 7, 2023 | AAF Headquarters, Lagos, Nigeria 

AAF will unveil a group exhibition featuring local and international artists within its gallery space during the summer months. Prior to the exhibition, AAF will host a one-week Artists Retreat for all participating artists to

Lagos, encouraging a deepened sense of community and creative cooperation though various activities such as team bonding, workshops, and panel discussions.

TALK YOUR OWN (OPEN MIC)

Date to be confirmed | AAF Headquarters, Lagos, Nigeria 

The monthly open mic session ‘Talk Your Own’ invites writers, poets, musicians and amateurs to perform and interact with the audience, encouraging freedom of expression. With poetry slam sessions, AAF honors and gives exposure to other art forms and provides a stage for a contemporary interpretation of the West African spoken word heritage.

YOUTH EMPOWERMENT THROUGH CONTEMPORARY ART (YECA)

Date to be confirmed | Lagos, Nigeria 

‘The Youth Empowerment through Contemporary Art’ (YECA) is an outreach program, targeting the student population of selected public secondary schools in Lagos through art courses, mentorship, and exhibition opportunities. The aim of YECA is to provide vocational training, the acquisition of livelihood skills, a solid extracurricular outlet for youths in secondary schools and to position art as a viable career path. YECA empowers the youth with an outlet for creative expression through exhibition of their works in public spaces such as galleries and festivals, and to promote the use of contemporary art to highlight the experiences of the youth in Nigerian society. With past support from organizations such as the Ford Foundation, AAF has collaborated with several schools within Lagos, offering their students art classes and revising the visual art curriculum.

SOLO EXHIBITION | AYOGU KINGSLEY SOLO EXHIBITION

Date to be confirmed | AAF Headquarters, Lagos, Nigeria 

Nigerian artist Ayogu Kingsley, known for his hyperrealist style, will present a solo exhibition showcasing his work rooted in the expression of daily experiences and nature as a poetic countenance to the human conscience.

THE MAKER LAB EXHIBITION

Date to be confirmed | Lagos, Nigeria 

The Maker Lab is a platform for emerging artists (aged 18-35) showcasing their dynamic art. Select artists working with a variety of mediums will get a chance to present their portfolios in an interactive review session. Artists will be selected to showcase their works in an exhibition at the organization’s experimental loft space, The Maker Lab.

 NOTES TO EDITORS:

ABOUT AAF:

African Artists’ Foundation (AAF) founded in 2007, Lagos, Nigeria, is a decentralized, multivalent, metamorphic art space that embraces community values, experimental artistic principles in supporting boundary-breaking and artistic ideas. Over the years, AAF has evolved beyond the limiting shell of a non-profit, to embody an art space that is responsive, attuned to social justice issues, ecology, freedom, community initiatives by empowering creative expression.

AAF is dedicated to fostering a deeper understanding and appreciation of contemporary art, design, and culture through residencies, workshops, innovative exhibitions, and educational programs. We aim to further challenge and inspire our community, unearth and develop more talents while also promoting inclusiveness. Our goal is to be a dynamic and interactive space that sparks meaningful dialogue and encourages critical thinking, celebrates community programs and ultimately to become a change-maker through the power of art.

Website | Instagram

Image Credits:

1.Johnson Ocheja, Beauty from the Little, 2023. Courtesy of Johnson Ocheja.
2.Johnson Ocheja, Serenity, 2023. Courtesy of Johnson Ocheja.
3.Azu Nwagbogu Portrait. Courtesy of Communic'Art Agency, 2023.
4.African Artists’ Foundation Headquarters in Victoria Island, Lagos, Nigeria, 2023. Courtesy of African Artists’ Foundation. 5.Maïmouna Guerresi, Beyond the border, LagosPhoto Festival 2019. Courtesy of African Artists’ Foundation
6.Landing Page- LagosPhoto Home Museum Website Landing Page, 2020. Courtesy of African Artists’ Foundation

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CHYBIK + KRISTOF WIN PUBLIC COMPETITION FOR AN AFFORDABLE HOUSING PROJECT | SHAPING COMMUNITY LIFE THROUGH FLEXIBLE AND INCLUSIVE DESIGN

CHK unveil the winning design for an affordable urban and housing plan, actively addressing the emerging global housing scarcity. By creating new urban dynamics and placing social infrastructure at its epicenter, the architects present innovative concepts for community living with a focus on human-centered design.

March 7, 2023 (Brno, Czech Republic) – CHYBIK + KRISTOF (CHK) present Municipal Affordable Housing, the winning design for Brno’s affordable housing project due for completion in 2025. In close proximity to the city center, six residential units with 90 apartments, offer a variety of mixed-use public and semi-public spaces, creating a vibrant and strong sense of community. CHK’s design combines core elements of communal living, social exchange, and flexible building solutions, once again underlining the studio’s commitment to human-centered design and forward-thinking architectural solutions.

This pilot project demonstrates the unity between the public and private, infiltrating open and communal spaces in all aspects, from urban integration to housing solutions, enabling a new experience of flexible living. Endowed by the Brno Municipality, the project brings affordable housing solutions for families and the young generation with social activation ever-present in its design. While it strongly addresses the housing crisis with a feasible solution in Brno, Municipal Affordable Housing is an enhanced alternative to the standard residential buildings constructed by developers around the globe. Furthermore, its ingenious financial model of payments makes homeownership possible for young residents. Following a small down payment and the monthly rent, the tenants are slowly paying off the apartment, eventually becoming homeowners.

Set across 10,362 m2 the complex seamlessly integrates itself into the historic urban plan and its narrow division. Invigorating existing urban dynamics, CHK enables the future alignment of the block by setting a precedent for fundamental ideas of inclusivity and community. The natural flow of urban connectivity between the complex and its surrounding area infuses new life and social value. The newly created courtyard and walkable areas along the length and width of the city block create a network of public spaces for its inhabitants and surrounding communities.

The housing areas engage with the urban framework, encouraging easy access to the adjoining quarter and areas beyond. The activation of each ground level with workshop spaces, a community center, shops, cafes and more, supports a vigorous urban atmosphere and social exchange for the residents and the community. Situated around the main courtyard, lush greenery is incorporated into this bustling community, serving as a calming oasis for the public. By initiating these open and common spaces not only for the residents, the area becomes a part of the everyday life of all passersby, making the complex truly communal.

All six infill buildings feature multiple common areas, providing complementary space to all residents. A shared rooftop area, the expanded area of the main stairways, and Brno’s typical courtyard architecture of continuous balconies wrapping each building, further enhance communal spaces providing more social cohesion than standard housing designs. The added volume to the main staircase allows residents additional dimensions for multiple uses such as coworking, a community-shared living room, children's play areas and more. Composed of translucent walls bringing an abundance of light in, these shared areas initiate the strengthening of social interaction.

Expanding on the human-centered focus of the complex, the apartment design empowers residents to shape their own living space according to their needs. Its movable, sliding walls enable simple alteration of the layout, offering a multifunctional use of the space – one that is more private and open. These sliding walls allow the coexistence of multiple domestic configurations, inspiring a new experience for urban living driven by the vision of human-centered, flexible and sustainable life. Ultimately, together with the compact and flexible apartments, the complex embodies new housing and living concepts, placing the additional social aspect interwoven into daily living and routine spheres at the center.

“As we continually seek to build structures that empower and serve people's needs, this project represents a crucial component for the development and social equality in society today. Ultimately, it contributes to the socio-economical progress of creating effective social policies for all,” said Michal Krištof, CHK co-founder.

In its essence, the design of the project celebrates the benefits of communal living with the integration of flexible and sustainable homes in a network of shared spaces, fit to meet any needs of its diverse community.

NOTES TO EDITORS:

About CHYBIK + KRISTOF
CHYBIK + KRISTOF is an architecture and urban design practice founded in 2010 by Ondrej Chybik and Michal Kristof. Operating with 50+ international team members and offices in Prague, Brno, and Bratislava, the practice aims at creating bridges between private and public space, transcending generations and societal spheres. Taking into account local histories and environmental specificities, the studio works on a wide array of projects, ranging from urban developments to public and residential buildings. Recent projects include: the Czech Pavilion at Expo 2015 (Milan, Italy), Lahofer Winery (Czech Republic), Zvonarka bus station (CZ), or Multipurpose arena in Jihlava (CZ). The studio has been awarded a number of prizes, including the 2019 Design Vanguard Award from Architectural Record, and was recently amongst the European Centre for Architecture Art Design and Urban Studies 2019 40 Under 40 Award winners.
chybik-kristof.com

CREDITS:
Client: Brno Municipality
Location: Brno, the Czech Republic
Year: 2017 - 2025
Investment: 21 000 000 EUR
Program: affordable housing
Size: 10 362 m2 (GFA)
Number of units: 90 apartments, 9 commercial units
Status: public competition – 1st place, documentation
Team: Ondřej Chybík, Michal Krištof, Ondřej Švancara, Lucie Skořepová, Iva Mrázková, Zuzana Pelikánová, Tomáš Wojtek, Michal Klimeš, Matěj Štrba, Ivo Stejskal Let’s include the letters from the Czech alphabet.
Engineering: Babka & Šuchma s.r.o.
Static engineer: JP STATIKA, s.r.o., Ing. Václav Přikryl
Fire engineer: Projekty PO s.r.o.
Technical building equipment: TPS PROJEKT s.r.o.
Traffic engineer: Rostislav Beneš
Landscape architect: Ing et Ing. arch. Tomáš Babka
Cost calculation: STAGA stavební agentura s.r.o., Ing. et Ing. Martin Tuscher, Ph.D.
Visualizations: Igor Brozyna - PLACES studio

Image credits:
Image 1. & 2. CHYBIK + KRISTOF. Municipal Affordable Housing drawings, Brno, Czech Republic. Courtesy of Alexey Klyuykov.
Image 3. CHYBIK + KRISTOF. Visualization of Municipal Affordable Housing, Brno, Czech Republic. Courtesy of Igor Brozyna - PLACES studio.
Image 4. & 5. CHYBIK + KRISTOF. Municipal Affordable Housing drawings, Brno, Czech Republic. Courtesy of Alexey Klyuykov.

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NIKA PROJECT SPACE OPENS IN DUBAI WITH GROUP EXHIBITION TITLED ‘FRAGMENTS OF TIME UNENDING’

The opening of the new art and culture space, coinciding with Art Dubai, presents its inaugural exhibition, featuring works by international and Middle Eastern artists in a space located in Dubai’s up-and-coming Al Khayat Avenue. 

On View: March 3 – April 23, 2023

Private Reception: March 3, 6 – 10 PM

March 2, 2023 (Dubai, UAE) – NIKA Project Space, a new 250 m2 hub for art and culture located in Dubai’s Al Quoz district in Al Khayat Avenue, is opening on March 3, 2023 to coincide with Art Dubai’s 16th edition. NIKA Project Space is a new platform for artistic experiments, research and the advancement of curatorial practice for both local and international artists. The space provides a critically engaged program that emphasizes. contemporaneity and cross-cultural dialogue in art creation with a focus on conceptualization, abstraction, and philosophical inquiry with a strong focus on the works by female artists.

Designed by T.ZED Architects the space serve as a catalyst for artistic, cultural, and philosophical inquiry. For its first exhibition, NIKA Project Space will present a group show titled ‘Fragments of Time Unending’ on view through April 23, 2023. Curated by Sarah Daher, a Lebanese curator based in Dubai, the show features six artists, including: Olga Chernysheva, Nika Neelova, Adrian Pepe, Muhannad Shono and Alexander Ugay. Encompassing a variety of mediums such as painting, sculpture, photography, and digital media, the exhibition examines the theme of time as both a constant and a subjective experience, as reflected in the title.

The works on view explore the transience of life through reflection on both the fragility, beauty, and power of the everyday, prompting spectators to also ponder their relationship to time and everyday life.

“At the core of this exhibition is the idea that time is both a constant and a subjective experience. It is the unifying thread that connects all human experiences, shaping our memories, relationships, and perceptions of the world. The works on display invite the viewer to consider their own experiences of time through a reflection on the transience of life,” says curator Sarah Daher.

Daher juxtaposes the artworks according to their aesthetic and message. For instance, I’m Sorry from Above (2016), a delicate ink on paper work by Saudi artist Muhannad Shono interprets moments of trauma that has catapulted the globe from a satellite distance in miniature form. It is throwing the scale out of balance on multiple axes. In a similar vein, Kazakh artist Alexander Ugay’s installation series Obscurations (2018) showcases layered abstractions that are inspired by real-world events and are then reconstructed as pinhole-camera-inspired objects and subsequently photographed in space. The concept of time in these works is so precisely deconstructed that it becomes nearly invisible — an unknown variable that nearly ceases to exist and yet maintains itself as a principal element in both works.

On the other hand, Russian artist Olga Chernysheva’s Flowers Riot (2022), an oil on canvas painting, offers an explosion of color in a violent manifestation of hues and abstract forms just as Nika Neelova’s reclaimed mahogany handrails assume the shape of a circular infinite loop through recycled material. These abstract objects serendipitously show the effects of time as agents of change.

 In the porous expanses of Adrian Pepe’s textile work, one can materially feel the reimagining of historically-significant craft and the time-ridden mechanics of physical labor.

Founder of NIKA Project Space, Veronika Berezina explains, “this show highlights the vision and mission of the NIKA Project Space. The artists present and implement research, a multidisciplinary and conceptual approach in their work. We want to elaborate on how time could be represented by different artists from different regions and through different mediums, fostering and expanding a dialogue between cultures, regions and generations, and show how connected we all are through the basic notion of time.”

NOTES TO EDITORS:

‘Fragments Of Time Unending’ will be on view at NIKA Project Space from March 3 – April 23, 2023.

Address:
NIKA Project Space

Al Khayat Avenue, Unit 11, 19th Street Road – Al Quoz 1

First Al Khail Street, Dubai, UAE

About Nika Project Space

Nika Project Space is a new platform for artistic experiments, research and the advancement of curatorial practice. It is the brainchild of Veronika Berezina, born and raised in St. Petersburg, Russia, passionate about the cosmopolitan character and creative potential of Dubai. Nika Project Space offers the possibility of representation through art exhibitions and other initiatives for both emerging and increasingly established artists from the Middle East and internationally. The space provides a critically engaged program that emphasizes. contemporaneity and cross-cultural dialogue in art creation with a focus on conceptualization, abstraction, and philosophical inquiry with a strong focus on the works by female artists. Through its diverse programming the space emphasizes intercultural exchange through a variety of events, exhibitions, talks and education initiatives both at Nika’s Dubai space and through pop-up events in Europe. Additionally, Nika Project Space aims to break down barriers and forge dialogue across cultures through contemporary art by artists working in a range of artistic mediums, including performance, painting, photography, sculpture, installation and the digital realm.

Nika Project Space will also develop a research center and publishing arm. Of pivotal focus to the mission of Nika Project Space is to invite artists from the region and internationally to make new works that implement investigative research and experimental creative processes. A dynamic year-long program of events, curated exhibitions, non-profit projects, educational programming, participation in art fairs and talks serves to further foster a bridge between the space and art community locally and internationally, supporting artistic vision, creative thought, dialogue, as well as elevating the practice of female artists worldwide. The space itself has been designed to serve as a catalyst for artistic, cultural, and philosophical inquiry. Designed by T.ZED Architects, the 250 square meters space is located in the new Al Khayat Avenue in Dubai’s industrial Al Quoz district. Nika’s brand design was developed by internationally acclaimed brand consultancy Wiedemann Lampe.

About Veronika Berezina

Veronika Berezina, the founder of NIKA Project Space, was born in Saint-Petersburg, Russia and now lives between Switzerland and Dubai. From a young age she had a passion for art and began studying art history and taking courses on collecting while studying International Relations for her bachelor’s and master’s degrees at Moscow State University of International Relations. After she graduated, she worked as an international tax lawyer, but continued pursuing her love for art by regularly attending art exhibitions at major museums and galleries in Russia and internationally. Her passion led Veronika to begin collecting art in 2013, first from emerging artists in galleries in St. Petersburg and then from international artists. To further gain knowledge of the rapidly changing genre of modern and contemporary art, she enrolled in courses at Sotheby’s Institute of Art while also simultaneously supporting art charity auctions and young artists contests at home and abroad, notably as a patron of the Garage Museum of Contemporary Art in Moscow. Berezina also intends to hold pop up projects with NIKA in Europe. In Dubai Berezina aims to offer a cross-cultural platform for artists from around the world, particularly from Asia, the Middle East, Africa, and Europe. She believes in the power of art to forge intercultural dialogue, spark creativity and innovation. With NIKA, in its new home in Dubai, Berezina’s dream is to provide a space where art speaks a language that goes beyond national borders and where creativity becomes a transcendent means to bring diverse cultures together.

About Sarah Daher

Sarah Daher is a Lebanese curator, researcher, and writer. She holds a Masters degree in Curating Contemporary Art from the Royal College of Art in London and a BA in Theater and Economics from New York University Abu Dhabi. Sarah is currently based in the UAE where she works as a curator and writer. Her most recent shows include After the Beep held at Satellite on Alserkal Avenue in Dubai and Fulfilment Services Ltd in collaboration with Gasworks London. She is the founder and co-host of ‘Khosh Bosh with Anita and Sarah’, a conversational podcast platforming the work of UAE-based creatives. Sarah worked as a researcher for Temporary Art Platform, a curatorial platform focused on the development of social practice in Lebanon, the region, and the Global South.

Image Credits:

1.&2. Adrian Pepe. Karyotype #3. Embroidered hand-felted wool. 90x75, 2022. Courtesy of Adrian Pepe.

3. Alexander Ugay. Obscuration 9. Vertical Horizon, wood, silver, gelatin, 215 х 23 х 23, c-print (each), 2018. Courtesy of Alexander Ugay.

4. Alexander Ugay. Obscuraton 6. Wood, silver, gelatin, 40х45х20, c-print, 2018. Courtesy of Alexander Ugay.

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LA NUOVA DOLCE VITA | LE SIRENUSE IN POSITANO RE-OPENS FOR THE 2023 SEASON

 A place, a family, a passion – the iconic luxury and lifestyle hotel on the Amalfi Coast Le Sirenuse is excited to announce its season opening on April 1.  

March 2, 2023 (Positano, Italy) – We are delighted to announce the season opening at Le Sirenuse on April 1.

Le Sirenuse opened in 1951 when the Sersale family turned their Amalfi Coast summer house in Positano into a stylish small hotel. Today the 58-suite hotel offers all the comforts of a five-star luxury hotel while still retaining the intimate, cultured atmosphere of a private home. Much of the credit for its current appearance and tasteful mix of European antiques, Neapolitan paintings and quality artisanship should go to the late Franco Sersale, an avid globetrotter and keen amateur photographer who returned to his family’s Positano base in 1990 to commence a major refurbishment project. He redesigned the pool terrace and the hotel’s panoramic La Sponda restaurant before moving onto a room-by-room upgrade of the guest suites, creating the Le Sirenuse one sees today.

 Franco’s aesthetic vision for the hotel has been extended by his son Antonio Sersale and daughter- in-law Carla into the field of contemporary art via the Artists at Le Sirenuse programme, launched in 2015 with British curator Silka Rittson-Thomas. To date, seven major installations by artists of the calibre of Martin Creed, Stanley Whitney and Caragh Thuring have found a place in the hotel’s design palimpsest, in fertile dialogue with each other and the art and décor of centuries past.

The resort has won innumerable awards and is internationally renowned for the quality of its services. The year 2000 saw the introduction of the Le Sirenuse Spa, designed by celebrated Italian architect Gae Aulenti. In 2001, the hotel’s romantic La Sponda restaurant, dedicated to exalting the region’s deep-rooted culinary traditions, was joined by the more informal Champagne & Oyster Bar. In 2019, this relaxed summer spot became Aldo’s, a cocktail bar and seafood grill that showcases the abundant fresh produce and classic sharing dishes of Naples and the Amalfi Coast. Housed in what was once part of the living room of the Sersale family villa, the hotel’s historic third-floor bar was refurbished by Rome-based architect and designer Annalisa Bellettati in time for the start of the 2021 season and rechristened the Don’t Worry Bar in homage to Martin Creed’s neon installation that hangs nearby. It’s a discreet, old-school, drinks-only hotel bar for true lovers of the genre. 

Franco himself bid his final ciao to Positano in January 2015. Today he is commemorated in Franco’s Bar, a street-level evening cocktail bar that channels the generous, expansive spirit and joie de vivre of this Dolce Vita gentleman. Though closely connected to Le Sirenuse, Franco’s has forged an identity of its own as the place in town for an aperitivo or nightcap with a view.

In 2019 Le Sirenuse launched a twice-yearly fitness and detox retreat called Dolce Vitality, held in the March week just before the hotel opens and again in November immediately after it closes. Dedicating the whole resort to no more than twenty participants, the retreat takes advantage of the ancient network of footpaths above Positano and combines these natural workouts with yoga classes, fitness sessions, massages, cultural experiences and a low-calorie Vegan menu prepared with gourmet flair by the hotel’s executive chef, Gennaro Russo.  For the 2023 edition, the retreat is set for the spring edition, from March 19 – 25, and the fall edition, from October 29 – November 4.

Today Le Sirenuse is directed by Antonio Sersale, who has been at the helm of the iconic Amalfi Coast hotel since 1992. Antonio’s wife Carla looks after Emporio Sirenuse, the resortwear and lifestyle brand sold via the two Emporio Sirenuse boutiques in Positano, emporiosirenuse.com, leading stores worldwide including matchesfashion.com, Net-a-Porter.com and more. The couple’s two children, Aldo and Francesco, joined the family business in 2021, the hotel’s 70th anniversary year.  

Le Sirenuse has been a leading member of the Best Hotels of the World since 1970.

NOTES TO EDITORS:

Le Sirenuse
For more information, please visit www.sirenuse.it/en
Facebook | Instagram | @lesirenuse

Images:
1.View of Le Sirenuse terrace. Photography by Brechenmacher & Baumann. Courtesy of Le Sirenuse
2.View of Le Sirenuse pool. Photography by Brechenmacher & Baumann. Courtesy of Le Sirenuse
3.View of ‘Don’t Worry Bar’ at Le Sirenuse. Photography by Brechenmacher & Baumann. Courtesy of Le Sirenuse
4.View of Aldo’s Bar. Photography by Brechenmacher & Baumann. Courtesy of Le Sirenuse
5.View of Franco’s Bar. Photography by Brechenmacher & Baumann. Courtesy of Le Sirenuse
6.View of ‘Dolce Vitality’ yoga session at Le Sirenuse. Photography by Brechenmacher & Baumann. Courtesy of Le Sirenuse
7.View of La Sponda restaurant. Photography by Brechenmacher & Baumann. Courtesy of Le Sirenuse
8.View from the bathroom at Honeymoon Suite at Le Sirenuse. Photography by Brechenmacher & Baumann. Courtesy of Le Sirenuse

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EMPORIO SIRENUSE ANNOUNCES A POP-UP AT THE ICONIC LE BON MARCHÉ IN PARIS

The reputed luxury lifestyle brand Emporio Sirenuse presents a curated selection of its latest fashion and home collections, traveling from Italy to the Parisian store Le Bon Marché available from May 1 – June 25, 2023, for the retailer’s exclusive summer exhibition.

Exterior View – Belvedere Hotel Mykonos. Photography by Nick Kontostavlakis. Courtesy of Belvedere Hotel Mykonos.

February 20, 2023 (Paris, France) – The luxury lifestyle brand Emporio Sirenuse, founded by Carla Sersale of the iconic family-run hotel Le Sirenuse, showcases its latest Spring Summer 2023 Collection Posi Pop together with selected pieces from its Home Collection with a pop-up at the renowned Parisian department store Le Bon Marché from May 1 – June 25, 2023.

Emporio Sirenuse‘s pop-up at world-renowned department store is located at the center of the retailer’s second floor, housing timeless luxury brands. Following the store's summer display theme of ‘Dolce Vita’, the carefully designed and curated space will emulate the ambiance and signature aesthetics of Le Sirenuse hotel in Positano, narrating the world of Italian seaside simplicity, charm and elegance. The set design replicates some iconic pieces from the hotel, such as its white vintage outdoor chairs, a luscious lemon tree nestled in the splendor of terracotta amphoras and a custom-made bench, printed carpet reminiscent of the hotel’s bespoke colorful tiles and elaborate golden hanging racks framing the space. The Parisian pop-up offers an exclusive look into Emporio’s cosmos evoking the luminous spirit of the Mediterranean. Celebrating the art of travel in style, the featured Spring/Summer 2023 Collection Posi Pop explores a fresh, nuanced and romantic take on Positano’s legendary dolce vita with light, colorful and bright summer pieces.

The collection boasts ballooning sleeves, gorgeous full skirts and elegant caftans, exquisitely stitched palm fronds, and prickly cacti, evoking the lush decadence of island hideaways and glowing textures of the desert. Abstract color compositions bring the disruptive spirit of Italian Pop Art to 60s-inspired halter dresses, crop tops and high-waisted skirts, while bright, handwoven Ikat stripes reinterpret retrò sailing style with playful irreverence. Adding to the brand’s repertoire of master-crafted embroidery and exclusive prints on handloom linens, airy cotton voile and the finest Italian Poplin, a new jersey knit capsule brings monochrome creations to the fore. Draped, knotted or tied, bare-backed or off-the-shoulder, the stunning silhouettes and saturated primary colors of this intriguing story channel anything from divine goddess looks to those of sultry 70s divas for a distinctly sensual take on summer style.

Emporio Sirenuse founder Carla Sersale explains:

“I have a soft spot for Le Bon Marché, a department store that is different from any other. I always felt a special bond towards this store as the attention to detail and the gracious professionality of its staff rivals that of our hotel, Le Sirenuse. We designed a space with our terrace in Positano in mind. We recreated the floor of my boutiques and brought over a table, some chairs and two lemon trees from Le Sirenuse. We hope to bring some sunshine as well.”

View of Belvedere Hotel Mykonos Pool Club. Photography by Nick Kontostavlakis. Courtesy of Belvedere Hotel Mykonos.

Halfway through the two-month period of the pop-up, Emporio’s High Summer 2023 Collection, in exclusive partnership with The Elephant Family, will accompany the Spring Summer 2023 Collection at Le Bon Marché. Venturing from the idyllic seaside paradise into a lush new jungle landscape, the collection is an ode to the exotic nature and fascinating contradictions of India. Emporio Sirenuse commits to donating 10% of its profits on Elephant Family and Wildlife designs to this trusted non-profit organization’s pioneering projects dedicated to protecting endangered wildlife and their habitats in Asia and Africa.

A splendid series of decorated ceramic Suzani Plates from Emporio’s Home Collection, echoing the timeless aesthetics of the Amalfi Coast and paying homage to its continuing, evermore traveled tradition, will join the brand’s carefully designed fashion collections at the Le Bon Marché, introducing the values and verve of the inimitable Amalfi Coast to Paris.

The spellbinding range of motifs that call back to the ancient Suzani-embroidered fabrics of Central Asia found their way into the selection of the bespoke Suzani Plates. Hand-painted ceramics from the storied traditions of Vietri, a small village at the end of the road to Amalfi, they revisit the motif, whose embrace of the material looks bolder and more striking than ever. Here, the Orient once again meets the Italian coast, celebrating the ingrained heritage of port cities, beating hearts par excellence of the dialogue between cultures, where objects, ideas, stories, and endless discoveries have never ceased to transit.

Exterior View of Belvedere Waterfront Villa– Belvedere Hotel Mykonos. Photography by Nick Kontostavlakis. Courtesy of Belvedere Hotel Mykonos.

NOTES TO EDITORS:

Le Bon Marché

24 Rue de Sèvres, 75007 Paris, France

Opening Hours:

Mon – Sat | 10 am – 7.45 pm

Sun | 11 am – 7.45 pm

About Emporio Sirenuse Positano:

Since opening in 1990 opposite the Sersales's iconic Le Sirenuse hotel, the Emporio Sirenuse Boutique has developed into a flourishing lifestyle brand with an e-commerce site and two adjacent shops in Positano: a Men's, Home Décor & Lifestyle store and a Women's store.

Founder Carla Sersale's own collection of resort wear, Le Sirenuse Positano, was launched in 2013 at the boutique. The line includes a unique range of prints and embroideries on caftans, silk summer dresses, and easy separates. The brand has since grown a loyal following worldwide and is distributed internationally at top retailers including Matchesfashion.com, Bergdorf Goodman, Net-a-Porter.com, Aerin, Kirna Zabete, Ounass, Harrods, Luisa Via Roma, and other select retailers worldwide.

Homeware – including glasses, ceramics and textiles – accessories, and fashion pieces are all handpicked or designed by Carla Sersale and curated to embody the chic, understated elegance of the hotel and lifestyle on the Amalfi Coast.

emporiosirenuse.com | @lesirenuse | @emporiosirenuse

About Le Sirenuse:

Le Sirenuse opened in 1951, when the Sersale family turned their Amalfi Coast summer house in Positano into a stylish small hotel. Today the 58-room resort is considered one of Italy’s leading seaside luxury hotels, though it still retains the intimate, cultured atmosphere of a private home. The rooms are contemporary yet reminiscent of a glamorous bygone era. The hotel may hail the renowned La Sponda restaurant, and a spa designed by architect Gae Aulenti, but Le Sirenuse is still very much a family affair. Second-generation co-owner Antonio Sersale looks after the day-to-day running of the hotel, while his wife Carla oversees the boutique Emporio Sirenuse and designs beach-oriented fashion collection Le Sirenuse Positano. Le Sirenuse has won numerous awards and is internationally renowned for the quality of its services.

sirenuse.it/en

About Le Bon Marché:

Le Bon Marché Rive Gauche was the first department store in the world. It opened in 1852 in Paris at the instigation of Aristide Boucicaut and his wife Marguerite. They were both in favor of “a new kind of store that would thrill all the senses”. Combining unconventionality and elegance, this unique space designed by the architect Louis-Charles Boileau and the engineer Gustave Eiffel displayed a singular style influenced by the creative vitality of Paris’s Rive Gauche. Original creations and limited editions stood alongside a selection of the most beautiful objects from all over the world. Women’s, men’s and children’s fashion, accessories, tableware and design, but also cultural exhibitions, furniture collections and contemporary works of art filled the space and generated surprise. Here, as in the beginning, discovery and amazement are the foundations of a way of life that transforms shopping into an art de vivre.

https://www.lebonmarche.com/en/index

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A R T COMMUNICATION + BRAND CONSULTANCY ANNOUNCES THE GLOBAL PR REPRESENTATION OF THE ICONIC BELVEDERE HOTEL IN MYKONOS

A treasured member of the Leading Hotels of the World, the family-owned hotel is a landmark of minimalistic Cycladic design and architecture. A petite Grand Hotel, Belvedere revives traditional aesthetics and its age-old splendor into the modern era, offering a variety of rooms, suites, private villas, and amenities such as the Pool Club, the Sunken Watermelon Bar, a Six Senses Spa, and the first open-air Matsuhisa restaurant in the world.

Exterior View – Belvedere Hotel Mykonos. Photography by Nick Kontostavlakis. Courtesy of Belvedere Hotel Mykonos.

February 7, 2023 (Mykonos, Greece) – A R T Communication + Brand Consultancy announces the global PR representation of the iconic Belvedere Hotel in Mykonos, Greece. Founded in 1995, the Belvedere is a family-owned luxury boutique hotel known for its prestige hospitality experience, five-star facilities, and breathtaking, immersive view of Mykonos's main town Chora and the Aegean Sea. This elegant Mediterranean residence is an oasis of wonders, merging consciously with the city’s eminent architectural landscape and identity. Elegantly shifting through the decades, the hotel has transformed into a superb social and hospitable experience, setting out to capture a nostalgic glance in pursuit of the elusive Mykonos feeling.

The hotel offers a wide array of rooms, suites and private villas enriched with hilltop and waterfront views offering a range of amenities, ensuring a truly immersive Mykonian experience, such as the Pool Club with its splendid bright sapphire pool, a signature cocktail bar Sunken Watermelon, a peaceful Six Senses Spa and Chef Nobu Matsuhisa's first open-air restaurant, Matsuhisa Mykonos.

Formerly known as Mansion Stoupa, the main Belvedere residence dates back 200 years, and in the 1960s Sofia and Illias Ioannidis opened this treasured holiday home to numerous vivacious visitors. This iconic mansion reflected in its entirety the buoyant and free-spirited sixties, attracting boisterous crowds of artists and creatives, hailing a new age for the island's social scene. The essence of these lively and extravagant parties carries into the Belvedere hotel now, hosting a unique ambiance and a community of guests vowing to return.

Embraced by a lush garden with abundant greenery and signature pink bougainvillea, the main complex boasts distinguishable Cycladic design honoring the traditional architectural landscape of Mykonos, with its white interior reflecting the elegant frames of nearby local houses. Through its refined rooms and suites designed with raw materials, such as plaster, marble, and wood, the design fuses minimalism and tradition, creating a unique and personalized experience, transforming into a true oasis of luxury, elegance, and tranquility with breathtaking views.

View of Belvedere Hotel Mykonos Pool Club. Photography by Nick Kontostavlakis. Courtesy of Belvedere Hotel Mykonos.

Encapsulating a rich hospitality experience, Belvedere’s main complex is enhanced with a full set of amenities, such as the Six Sense Spa offering a new wellness philosophy from in-house experts and holistic practitioners, a fully equipped fitness studio, a high-end fashion destination the Belvedere Shop and Venyx, a fine jewelry boutique by designer Eugenie Niarchos. The beating heart of the main complex is its Pool Club, igniting the ideal atmosphere to meet, socialize and nurture Belvedere’s international community, fusing experiences and guests in one place. This panoptic hub includes the hotel’s internationally acclaimed cellar, the historic Belvedere Bar, hosting some of the most extravagant nights on the island and offering exclusive Belvedere Signature Martinis by Dale DeGroff, also known as "the King of Cocktails", and the Sunken Watermelon Cocktail Bar, renowned for its distinctive drinks.

Further integrating the hotel into the local fabric, Belvedere’s very own Domna Ioannidis from Conceptboarding Architectural Studio undertook property renovations in 2007, with multiple additions to its main and annex complexes since then. In 2019, the Belvedere celebrated its expansion with 26 Hilltop Rooms and Suites, luxury residences located 250 meters from the central complex. Merging Mykonian design and minimalism, each room highlights Belvedere’s minimalist architectural signature and as an ode to the hotel’s legendary seascape, the residence watches over the Aegean Sea and Mykonos town.

Exterior View of Belvedere Waterfront Villa– Belvedere Hotel Mykonos. Photography by Nick Kontostavlakis. Courtesy of Belvedere Hotel Mykonos.

The Waterfront Villa, discreetly hidden behind the bougainvillea-framed wall, is a 1260 m2 luxury property merging seamlessly with the Aegean Sea. The Villa suites offer luxurious facilities, such as the waterfront pool, a private whirlpool surrounded by an enchanting veranda, and the wooden sundeck embellished by whitewashed walls and Mykonian décor. Near the lively city center is the Belvedere’s Villa Next Door, a 344 m2 indulgent residence hosting up to 18 guests. Overlooking the 16th century historical Venetian windmills, the villa is designed with sophisticated and modern aesthetics while keeping a warm atmosphere through organic stonewalls and neutral colors. Only a minute from the Belvedere’s main complex, guests are close to the hotel’s attractive amenities, while keeping a piece of their privacy. These more private and secluded Villas can be rented individually or as an ensemble.

Exterior View of Private Sundeck at Belvedere Panoramic Room – Belvedere Hotel Mykonos. Photography by Nick Kontostavlakis. Courtesy of Belvedere Hotel Mykonos.

To ensure its guest the ultimate bedding experience, Belvedere has exclusively partnered with Quagliotti, a famed Italian linen manufacturer bringing an indulgent experience with bespoke hospitality collections into a bustling hotel season. The new custom-made and hand-crafted down pillows, duvets, and renovated half of the hotel beds carry artisanal excellence to the Mykonian resort, transforming its rooms and suites into a dreamy oasis of comfort and long-lasting quality.

Home to Chef Nobu Matsuhisa’s first open-air restaurant in the world, Matsuhisa Mykonos brings the premium Chef’s culinary brilliance for a unique dining experience to Belvedere. The historic Mansion Stoupa now houses the restaurant, a centerpiece of a vibrant social scene at the hotel. This celebrated alfresco restaurant welcomes the local tradition and embraces Greek seafood straight from the Aegean Sea into its famed selection of global delights.

NOTES TO EDITORS:

Address:
Belvedere Mykonos
School of Fine Arts District, 84600, Mykonos, Greece

Facebook | Instagram | Belvedere Hotel , @belvederehotel

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MASA GALLERY LAUNCHES ITS INAUGURAL PERMANENT SPACE IN MEXICO CITY AND FOR THE FIRST TIME PRESENTS TWO SOLO EXHIBITIONS CHALLENGING THE BOUNDARIES OF ART AND DESIGN

Artist and designer Brian Thoreen and multidisciplinary conceptual artist Mario García Torres disrupt existing conventions of functionality and materiality in their new solo shows. Located in the heart of Mexico City, the 18th-century colonial house boasts 600 m2 of new gallery space for curatorial exploration, experimentation, and conversation around the sensibility of art and design.

January 19, 2023 (Mexico City, Mexico) - Marking its fifth anniversary, MASA gallery unveils two inaugural solo exhibitions at their first permanent space in the heart of Mexico City, on view from February 8 - April 8, 2023. The gallery’s expansion strengthens its ongoing commitment to present innovative positions of the local contemporary creative community through group and solo exhibitions focusing on collectible art and design. In ‘Non-Zero-Sum,’ artist and designer Brian Thoreen explores unconventional ways of fabrication and corporeality, expanding on traditional concepts and pushing the boundaries of materiality. Multidisciplinary conceptual artist Mario García Torres presents “The Space Under My Chair & The Music I Was Listening To”. As a homage to Bruce Nauman’s iconic sculpture and inspired by musical equipment design, García Torres explores a dialog between two series of works that shine a light on the limitless possibilities of fusing conceptuality and function.

The 600 m2 colonial house known for some of the most extravagant parties of the 1960s and 1970s in Mexico City, becomes MASA’s new home. Previously owned by great art visionary, writer and patron Federico Sánchez Fogarty (1901 - 1976), the 18th century building was the historic location of over 300 of Fogarty’s “Fiestas del Tercer Imperio” (Parties of the Third Empire). Orchestrated with the very own brush of famous muralist José Clemente Orozco (1883 – 1949), the evenings were attended by artists, writers, and critics – all of whom contributed to the construction and aesthetics of modern Mexico. Defined by its stretched corridors, expansive space and five-meter-high ceilings, MASA revives this iconic space.

Founded in 2018, MASA's artist and design collective presents disruptive exhibitions that blur the line between art and design. By challenging its existing boundaries and through its nomadic nature, MASA gives artists, designers, and architects a platform to question the frames of functional and non-functional works, experience unconventional pathways and explore the unexpected. MASA initiates a conversation between local creatives on the expression of conceptuality and materiality in Mexican design. Driven by Mexico’s renaissance of modern thinking, the gallery has come to represent works that explore the philosophical aspects of intention and function.

Known for challenging conventional concepts and pushing the boundaries of art and design, Thoreen’s “Non-Zero-Sum” presents over ten functional and six non-functional works, unveiling his mastery in finding progressive ways to manipulate materials beyond the conventional. The pieces on view showcase a bold exploration of shape, form, and utility, resulting in a diverse presentation of functionality and material in each piece.

This dialog between function and form is beautifully portrayed in large sculpture-like pieces, such as the two-meters candle made from 200 kilos of raw cast beeswax, unexpectedly exhibiting the object's mysterious and sensual aspect. Combining seemingly different materials comes a table made of twirling free-form rubber with cast bronze boxes and hammered copper elements, increasing the possibilities of its standard use. Enchanted with the diversity and multiplicity of rubber, Thoreen also presents a chair made solely from folded and stacked heavy neoprene consisting of nearly two tons of material while maintaining a sinuous tactility. In conversation with the collectible design pieces, Thoreen reveals a series of artworks, including a triptych of large works on paper displaying a binary code landscape by inscribing small charcoal sticks into the paper.Through materiality and conceptuality, the piece merges digital and analog. Standing between functionality and non-functionality, the triptych contains coded information, yet the information is kept secret from the viewer.

The breath of Thoreen’s current studio practice offers a continuation and expansion of his longstanding interest in making the static and kinetic laws of the universe visible, and the collision of a physical material with personal experimentation wrestling with the forces of gravity, displacement, velocity, mass, and scale.

In “The Space Under My Chair & The Music I Was Listening To”, Mario García Torres unveils two series featuring design and artworks that explore conceptuality and function. “A Cast of the Space Under My Chair” is an aluminum stool inspired by Bruce Nauman’s iconic concrete bearing the same name. Created in Nauman’s early career, the sculpture was crafted to consider the body’s relationship with the surrounding negative spaces. In the coated aluminum version, García Torres casts his desk chair, symbolically overturning the sculpture’s purpose by turning it into a functional object. For Nauman, casting the space below his seating was a way to reveal overlooked spaces; fifty years later, García Torres shines a light into a centuries-old tradition. In conversation with the design piece is “The Work I Painted This Monochrome While Repeatedly Listening to Gasolina by Daddy Yankee”, a series of electrically plugged monochrome paintings. The pieces were made while listening to the song Gasolina, directly influencing their outcome. Attached to the surface of the canvas is a rhythmic led light, transforming the series into a piece of silent sound equipment.

The founders expand, “counterbalancing the preconceptions surrounding the dialogue between art, design, space, function, or lack thereof is the essence of what we do.”

Founders Age Salajõe, Brian Thoreen and Héctor Esrawe fuse their devotion and expertise in collectible design in a space for curatorial exploration, experimentation, and conversation on the sensibility around art and design. Their collaborative spirit brings Mexico’s creative community together, turning MASA into a meeting point for local contemporary artists, designers and architects. Ever since their first show, “Collective/Collectible”, at an abandoned modernist mansion in Mexico City in 2019, the founders have embarked on a nomadic journey, nurturing a community of emerging creatives, such as Marrow, Xavier Loránd, Panorammmma and Adeline de Monseignat.

Internationally renowned artists, designers and architects, like Atelier Van Lieshout, Frida Escobedo, Pedro Reyes, Pia Camil, Jose Dávila and Milena Muzquiz, have exhibited in MASA’s exhibitions: “Elementos Vitales”, a homage to Ana Mendieta in Oaxaca, Mexico in 2021 and “Intervención/Intersección” at the Rockefeller Center in New York, in 2022.
 
Though its home will be in Mexico City, MASA will continue to expand its nomadic journey and conversation around art and design with discussions and programs. Initiatives include MASA CASA, offering studio visits of Mexico’s most influential artists, and MASA KIDS, making the exhibition accessible to children with custom age activities. In addition, MASA plans to continue its new nomadic exhibitions globally, including an upcoming show in Paris.

---

NOTES TO EDITORS:

'Non-Zero-Sum', Brian Thoreen and 'The Space Under My Chair & The Music I Was Listening To', Mario García Torres at MASA Gallery
February 8 – April 8, 2023
Joaquín A. Pérez 6, San Miguel Chapultepec I Secc, Miguel Hidalgo, 11850 Ciudad de México, CDMX, Mexico

About MASA:

MASA is a nomadic gallery founded in 2018 in Mexico City by creative director Age Salajõe, designers Héctor Esrawe and Brian Thoreen, along with collectors Roberto Diaz Sesma and Isaac Bissu. Challenging the boundaries between art and design through a conceptual lens questioning function and expression, MASA unveiled its first-ever permanent space in 2023 in the heart of Mexico City. What started as a curatorial exploration for the creative founders turned into a pioneering nomadic cosmos for a discourse of the borders of art and design, with the need to curate, to build, to provoke and to learn.
 
In light of Mexico’s cultural renaissance, MASA initiates a dialogue and a bold exploration of shape, form, and utility, resulting in a diverse presentation of functionality and material. Thriving in Mexico’s collaborative spirit and uniting a creative community of artists, designers and architects, MASA is a space for the creation of experimental conceptual culture. Through its exploration of new ideas and contemporary concepts, MASA will continue to distill the values of cultural production and with its digital, physical, and conceptual presence challenge conventions and present ideas on a global stage.

About Brian Thoreen:
 
Brian Thoreen is a designer and artist who lives and works between Paris and Mexico City. He creates functional and non-functional works which gather their ethos from the integral nature of the materials within the application. Focusing on material and form his works find ways to an unexpected existence. His body of work contains studies on material independence and interdependence offering the materials used an opportunity to be expressed. By filtering his ideas through the lenses of emotion, technique, playfulness, and experimentation the end results vary but are aligned through a continuous thread.

He has co-founded the nomadic gallery MASA as well as experimental glass making collective VISSIO. These partnerships have expanded his capacity for further experimentation. Thoreen has participated in international exhibitions such as Design Miami with Patrick Parrish Gallery (2015 – 2017), Zona Maco with VISSIO (2018 - 2019), and group exhibitions with MASA since 2019.
 
About Mario García Torres:
 
Mario García Torres (b. 1975, Monclova, Mexico) is an artist currently living between Mexico City and Los Angeles. Through personal and intimate research-based practice, his work has been investigating the structures and politics that make art possible, mainly using blind spots in recent art history and employing gestures normally related to the immaterial legacy of conceptual art. Interested in uncertainty and counter-narratives, he has blurred the notions of fact and fiction through a wide range of mediums, including film, slide shows, performance, sound and painting.
 
Some of the most important solo exhibitions of his work have been held at the Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam (2007), Kunsthalle Zürich (2008), Berkeley Art Museum, Berkeley (2009), Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía, Madrid (2010); Museo MADRE, Naples (2013), Perez Art Museum, Miami (2015), TBA21, Vienna (2016), Museo Tamayo, Mexico City (2016), Walker Art Center, Minneapolis (2018) and Wiels Art Centre, Brussels (2019) MARCO, Monterrey (2021). He has also participated in such international exhibitions as the Sharjah Biennial 13, Tamawuj, Emirates (2017), Manifesta 11, Zurich, the Berlin Biennale (2014); the Mercosul Biennial, Porto Alegre, Brazil (2013); Documenta 13, Kassel (2012); the São Paulo Bienal (2010); and the Venice Biennale (2007) to name a few. Garcia Torres' work is part of many private collections around the world. His works could be found in public collections such as the MoMA, New York, the Pompidou Centre, Paris, MUAC and Museo Tamayo in Mexico City, the Hammer Museum in LA and the Tate Modern, London.

Image credits:
Image 1. Brian Thoreen, ‘Zero-Non-Sum,’ 2023. Courtesy of Alejandro Ramirez Orozco
Image 2. Installation view ‘Intervención/Intersección’, MASA Galería, New York, 2022. Courtesy of Caylon Hackwith
Image 3. Installation view ‘Collective/Collectible’, MASA Galería, Mexico City, 2019. Courtesy of Genevieve Lutkin

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CHYBIK + KRISTOF UNVEIL THE WINNING DESIGN FOR PEARL GALLERY | A TRANSFORMATION OF A FORMER TEXTILE FACTORY INTO A NEW CULTURAL HUB

Set to become a precious architectural gem and vivid cultural center, the design pays tribute to its rich industrial past. The restored art center strongly underlines CHYBIK + KRISTOF’s engagement with the preservation of architectural heritage in safeguarding communities’ connection to the past all the while encouraging inclusive social dynamics.

CHYBIK + KRISTOF. Visualization of the Pearl Gallery, Ústí nad Orlicí, Czech Republic. Courtesy of  CHYBIK + KRISTOF.

January 10, 2023 (Usti nad Orlici, Czech Republic) – CHYBIK + KRISTOF (CHK) win the design competition to transform a former textile factory into a new contemporary art gallery and cultural space at the heart of Usti nad Orlici in the Czech Republic. Pearl Gallery presents itself as the city’s new contemporary art hub, expanding its existing cultural infrastructure and forming a new creative environment. Reflecting CHK’s commitment to preserving architectural heritage, refurbishing and upcycling existing urban fabrics, Pearl Gallery will rise from its prosperous textile industry legacy, paving the way for a new cultural identity of the city.
 
Eager to preserve a piece of its eminent past, the city announced a competition to create a fresh new vision for the city centre. Following a decline in the prosperous textile industry during the 20th and 21st century, the former Pearl factory was shut down in 2009, and demolished in 2017. Only the three most prized buildings remained, a production building designed by renowned Czech architect Pavel Janak, an office extension of the block, and a machine building from the 19th century.
 
In reconceptualizing the restoration of the factory’s remains, CHK divided the existing mass into two buildings, providing the future gallery with multiple functions, and creating new public pathways and spaces between the buildings. Set across 3,200 m2, the newly divided areas form three exhibition spaces, each carefully designed to fulfill a particular purpose. Stretching across the prominent area of the right wing, the main exhibition hall is reimagined as a white box space, set to house the main exhibitions. To the left is a connected space accessible through a small entrance, housing a black box space. Surrounding the main hall from above is a balcony gallery designed as a textile cabinet paying homage to the building’s history. This mezzanine space can be easily divided and separated from the main hall with curtains, increasing flexibility for future curatorial purposes.

CHYBIK + KRISTOF. Drawings of the Pearl Gallery, Ústí nad Orlicí, Czech Republic. Courtesy of  CHYBIK + KRISTOF.

Preserving Pearl’s architectural memory and existing material, CHK utilized crucial construction elements through design preservation and restoration. Certain existing surfaces were stripped back to reveal the original material’s uneven texture resurfacing its former splendor, while additional construction elements, such as tiles and railings are treated and covered with a polished, metallic sheet embracing the revitalized spirit of the place. The industrial chimney deprived of its primary function is enriched with a reflective pearl motif becoming a new landmark and a beacon of its namesake, visible even from distant parts of the area.
 
As part of its multifaceted cultural expansion, Pearl Gallery acts as a new meeting place for the community – activating the surrounding area and public space to foster social interaction in the gallery and its surrounding neighborhood. The site is enriched by a new public courtyard located at the forefront of the building, united by the cafe – a vital link between the vibrant main street, and a calming urban interior.

CHYBIK + KRISTOF. Visualization of the Pearl Gallery, Ústí nad Orlicí, Czech Republic. Courtesy of  CHYBIK + KRISTOF.

“Pearl Gallery's design sees an increased development in the urban fabric, designed to elevate local culture by weaving together and upcycling its architectural past and creating a new future in the form of a vital arts district for the city,” says CHK co-founder Ondrej Chybik.
 
Underpinned by both a forward-thinking design and respect for the building’s original heritage, Pearl Gallery showcases the vital role of architectural transformation as a focal point in any cultural and social revitalization. 

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NOTES TO EDITORS:

About CHYBIK + KRISTOF
CHYBIK + KRISTOF is an architecture and urban design practice founded in 2010 by Ondrej Chybik and Michal Kristof. Operating with 50+ international team members and offices in Prague, Brno, and Bratislava, the practice aims at creating bridges between private and public space, transcending generations and societal spheres. Taking into account local histories and environmental specificities, the studio works on a wide array of projects, ranging from urban developments to public and residential buildings. Recent projects include the Czech Pavilion at Expo 2015 (Milan, Italy), Lahofer Winery (Czech Republic), Zvonarka bus station (CZ), or Multipurpose arena in Jihlava (CZ). The studio has been awarded a number of prizes, including the 2019 Design Vanguard Award from Architectural Record, and was recently amongst the European Centre for Architecture Art Design and Urban Studies’ 2019 40 Under 40 Award winners.
chybik-kristof.com

Credits:
Photos: Lukáš Prokeš, Město Ústí nad Orlicí
Illustrations: Hanna Hajda
 
Team:
Ondřej Chybík, Michal Krištof, Lucie Skořepová, Hanna Hajda, Urszula Sędziak, Ela Siwiec, Zuzana Pelikánová, Jiří Richter, Markéta Pavlunová, Martin Holý

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CHYBIK + KRISTOF COMPLETE RESEARCH CENTRE IN COLLABORATION WITH KOMA MODULAR | PRESENTING NEW INNOVATIVE MODULAR ARCHITECTURE

Following their first collaboration in 2007, CHYBIK + KRISTOF and KOMA Modular conclude their collective work on the Modular Research Centre, showcasing an innovative use of modular structures by altering conventional systems. Pushing the boundaries of standard modular architecture, the new research centre creates transparency and openness within the local community while serving as a think-tank presenting new concepts and possibilities of modular buildings.

October 6, 2022 (Prague, Czech Republic) – CHYBIK + KRISTOF (CHK) announce the completion of the newly designed Modular Research Centre with KOMA Modular, a Czech module manufacturer, located in Vizovice, Czech Republic. Latest in a series of collaborations, the recently completed 170 m2 research centre acts as a think-tank – an innovative space to challenge and expand on existing notions of modular construction. Situated at the edge of the KOMA complex, the new research centre carefully integrates the factory into its surrounding environment while creating a large semi-public social gathering square contributing to the employees' liveliness and progressive working culture. The one-story building allows passers-by to view the factory from the street level, further enhancing an accessible, transparent, barrier-free area.

The partnership between CHK and KOMA began in 2014 by creating a master plan for the entrance and public area consisting of three modular buildings. The master plan demonstrates a strategic configuration design of the factory’s entrance, expanding on public space, in which each structure unveils modular versatility. Following the completion of the Modular Cafeteria in May 2014, CHK designed the Czech pavilion at EXPO 2015 in Milan, which was later converted into an office building for KOMA. The newly completed research centre (2022) presents the third and final modular design, rooted in the concept of rotated containers functioning as columns, enabling an architectural malleable space to further expand on the notions of modular architecture.

Set to become an innovation hub for the factory complex to develop and explore new undiscovered building methods with modules, the research centre forms an adaptable system that can meet multi- purpose needs. Acting as an idea generator, the building is an important meeting place for all professionals to create innovative and special products, consequently becoming a default gathering point and evolution center for the future of modularity. Keeping in mind the structure's principal function, it is further underlying the vital element of transparency reflected in its building. Creating a complex that is open and welcoming to the local community confidently reflects on the principle of new concepts envisioned to form inside the rotated containers of the building.

Created as a prototype of a new and adaptable modular system, the research center underlines the studio’s dedication to expanding the limitations of modular architecture and engaging in supporting local communities. Putting the focus on crafting new shapes offering unrestrained modularity and showcasing an innovative system of multifunctional modular shapes, the studio is purposely shifting old paradigms and expanding on the typical rectangular construction to foster a transparent working environment. Bypassing the restriction of the customary use of right-angled units placed side by side, the research centre varies from a standard model in the basic re-imagination of the use of modular structures, making it a user-friendly model for the future of modular architecture.

Containing three main module elements, the floor, the container, and the roof units, the composed space creates a new unique system – spatial units containing the facilities are leveled onto the planar flooring modules, which are anchored to the foundation, functioning as columns. Placed in between the containers and the roof, vast window surfaces draw in an abundance of light, keeping the workplace open and connected to the exterior space.

The juxtaposition of the main modules and glass surfaces forms an all-inclusive spacious open area dedicated to horizontal and vertical working spaces. The area itself is entirely flexible, avoiding negative aspects of large open space offices, and can be readjusted to meet the specific needs of any project, forming multiple adaptable and individual workstations. As a natural continuation of the modularity concept, the furniture design allows the office equipment to be supplemented, changed, and adapted to new needs over time – pieces of equipment can be customized simply by re-connecting the elements. Building materials further aid in reflecting and understanding the innovative modular concept of the research centre, with its perforated surface and visible details used to the maximum extent in their natural form. As a material that KOMA manufactures and uses daily, aluminum was a clear choice for the complex, aiding the understanding of modular build principles easily.

Left Vaulted house in the small village of Pastena, Amalfi, Courtesy of Studio Architetti Artigiani Anonimi; Right Drawing of Proporzione Mediterranea_Daybed 01, Courtesy of Studio Architetti Artigiani Anonimi

CHK encourages further expansion and research of modular architecture and emphasizes its importance,

“As the emerging trajectory for modular architecture and technologies continue to advance, we have positioned our capabilities in this area at the forefront of innovation to create promising solutions towards a future that we believe lies in modular architecture.”

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NOTES TO EDITORS:

About CHYBIK + KRISTOF
CHYBIK + KRISTOF is an architecture and urban design practice founded in 2010 by Ondrej Chybik and Michal Kristof. Operating with 50+ international team members and offices in Prague, Brno, and Bratislava, the practice aims at creating bridges between private and public space, transcending generations and societal spheres. Taking into account local histories and environmental specificities, the studio works on a wide array of projects, ranging from urban developments to public and residential buildings. Recent projects include: the Czech Pavilion at Expo 2015 (Milan, Italy), Lahofer Winery (Czech Republic), Zvonarka bus station (CZ), or Multipurpose arena in Jihlava (CZ). The studio has been awarded a number of prizes, including the 2019 Design Vanguard Award from Architectural Record, and was recently amongst the European Centre for Architecture Art Design and Urban Studies 2019 40 Under 40 Award winners.
chybik-kristof.com

About KOMA

KOMA is a manufacturer of modular buildings based in Vizovice, the Czech Republic. It is formed from several companies working towards the same goal, emphasizing innovation and design since 1992. They care about a good working and living environment, and they are constantly developing and impro-ving. When designing their solutions, they have the welfare and needs of the customer in mind, to whom they always want to bring a high added value. KOMA believes that the future of construction is modularity.

koma-modular.cz

Project Team:
Ondřej Chybík, Michal Krištof, Ondřej Mundl, Lukáš Habrovec, Martin Holý, Michal Klimeš, Dávid Medzihorský, Vojtěch Kouřil, David Bernátek, Petr Novák, Vladimír Šobich, Přemek Zhoř

Landscape architecture:
Atelier zahradní a krajinářské architektury Sendler

Technical solutions:
Jiří Valenta, Oldřich Studený, Petr Chval

Photo credits:
Jesús Granada, Alex Shoots Buildings, Julius Filip, Pavel Barták

Illustrations:
Alexey Klyuykov, CHYBIK + KRISTOF

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ANNARITA AVERSA FOR ARCHITETTI ARTIGIANI ANONIMI PRESENTS PROPORZIONE MEDITERRANEA | A MEMENTO TO VERNACULAR ARCHITECTURE OF THE AMALFI COAST

Inspired by the visual and sensorial force of the pure and harmonious forms encapsulating the characteristics of vernacular Mediterranean houses, architect Annarita Aversa designs a limited-edition collection of seating and vases.

Proporzione Mediterranea_Daybed 01, 2021, Annarita Aversa. Studio Architetti Artigiani Anonimi, Courtesy of Galleria Giustini/ Stagetti, Roma

September 22, 2022 (Rome, Italy) – Milan-based architect Annarita Aversa, founder of Architetti Artigiani Anonimi, presents Proporzione Mediterranea, a collection of seating and vases emanating from her vernacular architecture study of Mare Nostrum, specifically the vaulted houses of the Amalfi coast. On view from September 30th – October 29th, 2022, at Giustini / Stagetti gallery in Rome, the collection builds on the architect’s ethos of the single idea of space, light and material by fusing design and architecture. Drawing from the wisdom of “Mediterranean vernacular masterpieces,”[1] the collection is a memento of heritage preservation, continually narrating its intrinsic worth and exemplary value.

Aversa returns to the origins and essence of architecture, to rediscover the intimate link between man and inhabited space. The collection calls upon this truthful synthesis of evoking harmony of human proportions, narrating as it does that architecture is a unique and inimitable product of human needs, desires, dreams and abilities. The rhythm of solids and voids, the soft shaping typical of the Mediterranean culture is further enhanced by the rawness of the materials, such as the colored terracotta and hand-worked wrought iron.

Aversa explains: “Conceiving internal and external space and its furnishings as a total unicum, strongly linked to the context, has always steered my work, particularly in this collection. The purpose of the project is to remind architects of the reasons behind our so very delicate task in an era often littered with disorienting images.“

Inspired by the distinctive houses with vaulted ceilings that line the Amalfi Coast, the limited-edition collection includes a daybed, a sofa, a bench and a selection of vases. As an integral part of the architectural Gesamtkunstwerk, the pieces create a natural play of light and shadow underlining Aversa’s intent to merge the world of architecture and design.

Composed of ceramic and metal, the seating alludes to benches set along the edges of coastal terraces, challenging the boundary between architecture and landscape. Produced in Vietri sul Mare, the epicenter of ceramic art and design on the Amalfi Coast, the modular seating pieces create a delicate balance of technique and form as a natural extension of space.

Designed as “architectural dreams,” the vases are a continuation of harmonious proportions. Their “skin” opens in a perfectly balanced mix of space, light, and water, defining a place from which to observe the world surreptitiously. The design echoes the intimacy of vaulted spaces, highlighting the skillful modeling of the raw materials, lending grace and meaning to every creative decision.

Left Proporzione Mediterranea_Vase III, 2021, Annarita Aversa. Studio Architetti Artigiani Anonimi, Courtesy of Galleria Giustini/ Stagetti, Roma; Right Proporzione Mediterranea_Vase 01, 2021, Annarita Aversa. Studio Architetti Artigiani Anonimi, Courtesy of Galleria Giustini/ Stagetti, Roma

As part of Aversa’s mission to preserve the natural and architectural landscape of the Amalfi Coast, she collaborated with the Centro di Cultura e Storia Amalfitana, in Amalfi on a handbook of drawings, photographs and research illustrating the necessity of heritage preservation.  It will be available online and in the Casa del vademecum (“the house of the Vademecum”).

Founded in 2013, Architetti Artigiani Anonimi, based in Milan works on the different scales of architecture, elaborating and synthesizing in each project the complexity of the temporal, architectural and cultural context, and promoting the identity of each place.

Left Vaulted house in the small village of Pastena, Amalfi, Courtesy of Studio Architetti Artigiani Anonimi; Right Drawing of Proporzione Mediterranea_Daybed 01, Courtesy of Studio Architetti Artigiani Anonimi

[1] Bruno Zevi described houses with vaulted ceilings that line the Amalfi Coast as “a vernacular masterpiece worthy of standing alongside Brunelleschi’s dome or Michelangelo’s apse in St Peter’s.” 

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NOTES TO EDITORS:

About Annarita Aversa

Annarita Aversa is an Italian architect, educated at the “La Sapienza” University of Rome and the ETSAB University of Barcelona. After having collaborated with some of the most well-regarded architectural studios in Europe - in Holland, Spain, and Milan - she decided to focus on her territory of origin, the Amalfi coast, through participatory planning initiatives such as “Due Punti Architettura” listed by the MAXXI Museum in the “Independent Project”, independent cultural initiatives in Italy.

Founded in 2013, Architetti Artigiani Anonimi, based in Milan, works on projects of different scales, the studio focuses on elaborating and synthesizing in each project the complexity of the temporal, architectural and cultural context, while promoting the identity of each place.

Annarita Aversa is currently carrying out a research project based on the recovery of empathy between man and living space for the “Molino Nuovo” project in Salerno, looking after the architectural design, various architectural projects for private clients and a project for the elaboration of methods for preservation of the architectural and landscape heritage of the Amalfi coast, in collaboration with the Center of Culture and History of Amalfi.

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TRANSPARENCY, FORM AND COLOR OPENS AT ARTEFACT.BERLIN GALLERY ON SEPTEMBER 2

The exhibition will present a series of mid-century glassware, featuring fine glass in unusual artistic shapes and various vibrant colors and pastel hues.

September 2 – November 18, 2022

Opening Preview: Thursday, September 1, 2022 | 6-8 PM

Installation view of ‘Transparency, Form and Color.’ Photo Courtesy of Artefact.Berlin.

August 16, 2022 (Berlin, Germany) – Artefact.Berlin announces its new exhibition dedicated to a curated selection of fine colorful glassware from the 1950‘s–1970‘s on view from September 2 – November 18, 2022. Transparency, Form and Color presents over 30 unique glass objects in various colors, shapes, and sizes, exhibited in honor of the International Year of Glass 2022, as proclaimed by the United Nations.

Alongside the glass objects, a large-scale unstretched sewed linen canvas by contemporary Berlin-based artist Nadine Schemmann echoes a similarly rooted appreciation of form and color. In her work, Schemmann explores the various layers reflective of human encounters – the spoken and the unspoken, giving these moments a lasting expression. The levels of transparency, the flow of color and its shape mirrors these interactions. In lost connection to mono, 2021, the vibrant green, yellow, and blue, added impulsively to the canvas, represent one of these interpersonal moments in time.  

Inspired by the ways in which these two distinctive mediums employ form and color, cultural entrepreneur Anna Rosa Thomae, curates this assemblage as an exemplary symbiosis of art and design, as per Artefact.Berlin’s mission to support and present these intrinsically connected disciplines.

Nadine Schemmann, lost connection to mono, 2021 284 x 245 Oil paint, chlorine bleach and ink on sewed linen. Photo Courtesy of Nadine Schemmann.

Over 9000 years ago, the invention of glass by mixing three primary ingredients – silica sand, soda, and potash combined at high temperatures – created an extremely versatile material that with skillful craftsmen and artists reached new artistic heights. Today glassmaking holds an enviable place among art and design. Celebrating this shape-shifting material, the glass vases and objects on display are all mouth-blown and hand-crafted in delicate colorful glass to create sophisticated works of art conveying intricate craftsmanship and a sincere sense lightness. Distinctive for their color variations, ranging from lush Prussian/cornflower blue, cherry red and petrol to pale pastel colors, the pieces are shaped in novel fashion in graceful forms adding a modern sensibility and richness to traditional materials.

Selected objects in the exhibition can be attributed to Albin Schaedel, the internationally renowned glass artist from the Thuringian Forest in the former German Democratic Republic (GDR). Profoundly interested in experimenting and developing new techniques, Schaedel's affinity towards unconventional shapes demonstrated his excellent knowledge and skill of the versatile material. More specifically, he developed the "Schaedeltechnik,” a new technique of blowing vessels with a torch through an assembly technique producing unique pieces.

Installation view of red, blue and petrol-colored vases and objects. Photo Courtesy of Artefact.Berlin

Anna Rosa Thomae explains, “The subtle clarity and craft of the glass finds perfect harmony in Schemmann’s study of color and form.”

Predominantly working with large-format linen and various techniques, Nadine Schemmann’s work translates encounters, conversations, and moments in diverse shades on the canvas to engage in emotional interactions. The process involves dying or bleaching the material to then be covered with ink, oil paint or chlorine bleach, resulting in striking, but unexpected color paths forming organic, endlessly changeable edges on the linen canvas. With a desire to expand her color palette, Schemmann materializes feelings as different shades to create an expressive and sensory visual language translating encounters as the deepest and most honest form of dialogue. Reflecting the fragility of interpersonal relationships, Schemmann's paintings find their origin in the interstice that results when two people meet – crafting the space which remains free of color and that which is delimited by cut edges and seams. Only sometimes she stretches the linen fabrics on frames, never banishing them behind glass. Often, they hang freely in a space, or in nature, where they are exposed to wind and weather, where the color and fabric change with time. Just as interpersonal relationships cannot be preserved and made durable, Schemmann does not place this expectation on her paintings.

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NOTES TO EDITORS:

About Artefact.Berlin:

Established in December 2021, Artefact.Berlin is a gallery and project space prefiguring itself as an extension and complement to Thomae’s already reputed international cultural communications agency A R T Communication + Brand Consultancy, founded in 2014. Through a series of curated exhibitions, the project is rooted in Thomae’s ongoing commitment to promoting the interrelatedness between art, design and architecture. With a rich program of carefully selected exhibitions focusing on contemporary art and design, the space stands as an important reference point for art and design collectors and enthusiasts worldwide.

Rooted in the Schöneberg district’s distinct architectural heritage, Artefact.Berlin will continuously connect with local art and design professionals and general audiences alike through a dense program of multidisciplinary events, talks, and performances, once again fostering Berlin’s extensive and widely diverse cultural community and its visibility worldwide.

About Nadine Schemmann:

Nadine Schemmann is a contemporary German visual artist. She studied design and fashion at the Cologne International School of Design from 1997 - 2000 and at the Berlin University of the Arts from 2004 - 2006. In 2001 she moved to Berlin and worked as a freelance designer and internationally recognized fashion illustrator under her stage name Lulu until 2018.

Working with encounters in the broadest sense, her work arises from the need to translate encounters, conversations and moments to give them a lasting expression. In doing so, Schemmann recalls these moments and feelings as colors that then meet again on the canvas. Her own artistic practice is constantly evolving and presented in solo and group exhibitions. Most recently at Gutshaus Schwante, Kunsthaus Lempertz, Studio Berlin at Berghain, and TEXT-ile at Galerie Haverkampf & Leistenschneider, among others.

About Albin Schaedel:

Albin Schaedel (1905-1999) was an internationally renowned Thuringian glass artist – one of the most productive and influential glass artists of his time. Schaedel came from a family with a 200-year tradition in glass production. Following in his father’s footsteps, Schaedel joined the glass bead making workshop, began an apprenticeship in 1924 and was a journeyman with Edmund Müller in Neuhaus from 1927. After seven years of experience in glass making, he started working as an independent art glass blower and following his successful skills, in 1949 he was awarded the quality mark for handicrafts. By the end of the 20th century, he had to stop working in front of the glass flame for health reasons.

Works by Schaedel are held in prominent museum collections, including the Victoria & Albert Museum, London; Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen, Rotterdam; Hokkaido Museum of Modern Arts, Sapporo.  

Transparency, Form and Color is on view at Artefact.Berlin from September 2, 2022 — November 18, 2022.

Artefact.Berlin | Geisbergstraße 12, 10777 Berlin, Germany

Opening Hours:

Monday – Friday

10 – 6 PM and by appointment

artefactgalleryberlin.com | @artefactgallery.berlin

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