Collective 2 Design Fair kicks off New York’s second NYCxDesign events series
![Jackpot Vase and Folder Sofa](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/JgMyk5ZxcdGzQJKFuXQquR-415-80.jpg)
New York is about to get a lot more crowded this week with the best of the art and design worlds converging for the kick-off of its second NYCxDesign. The ambitious umbrella title aims to bring together the month's multiple art and design events. Ranging from the homegrown Collective Design Fair, to the imported Frieze Art Fair and the stalwart International Contemporary Furniture Fair, with lots more in between, this year's happenings are set to be the most vibrant and cohesive.
First out of the gates is the Collective 2 Design Fair (8-11 May), an elegant showcase of 20th century and contemporary design, which debuted last year. Featuring a curated selection of design galleries from around the world, the fair's second edition is more fully-formed, with participants from further afield. The fair's founder, Steven Learner, said, 'One of our goals this year was to expand our reach internationally, and we have with new and returning galleries from Brussels, Lebanon, London, Mexico City, Oslo and Stockholm.'
To this end, the fair comprises 36 exhibitors, including Seoul's Gallery Seomi, Beirut's Carwan Gallery, Chicago's Volume Gallery, Brussels' Victor Hunt and Cologne's Ammann Gallery - an enticing mix of new and recognizable names. With objects ranging from early 20th century Scandinavian antiques and a showcase dedicated entirely to Carl Aubock, to a new series of marble furniture by Tomás Alonso and child-friendly, vintage design offerings from Kinder Modern, the fair is inspiring to say the least.
Last year, Collective 1 set itself apart by embracing a unique venue, the Lot-Ek designed Super Pier located on the waterfront edge of Chelsea. This year, the fair moved to Skylight at Moynihan Station, a sprawling space (and a firm fashion show favourite) located within the iconic James A. Farley Post Office in Midtown West. Learner, who is also an architect, said, 'We found that people responded to the installation of design in a surprising venue, so this year are once again in a great surprising space.'
In addition to the galleries' exhibitions, other things to look out for at Collective 2 include a capsule show devoted to Scandinavian design curated by ex-V&A, now MAD director Glenn Adamson; Collective Settings, a series of installations that sees an exhibitor work with a designer of their choice to create an inhabitable surrounding for their objects; and a special survey of Hella Jongerius' works. Curated by Murray Moss and Frank Getchell, the Jongerius pieces shown are primarily made up of their personal collections.
In drawing a link between the designer and Collective, Moss explained, 'I was stimulated by Steven Lerner's vision of bringing together seemingly disparate galleries in a way that encourages the visitor to discover real connections.' For over twenty years, Hella has worked in what might be considered 'collectives'. Moss continues, 'In partnering with an ever-expanding circle of individuals and manufactories, she has brought them together in an unparalleled "commune" - a "Hella Kabutz" - where ancient and avant-garde, handmade and laser-cut, familiar and foreign, all become part of a vast quilt of sublime beauty and intelligence - her work.'
The showcase includes over 80 pieces, some of which are on loan from Michael Maharam, Rolf Fehlbaum, Vitra and other collectors, that touch on key movements in Jongerius' career. Moss was keen not to show everything though. 'We are presenting fragments of collections she has done over the past 15 years, drawn from both studio and industrial projects,' he explains. 'We did not want to do a timeline retrospective. As Hella wrote to me, "This exhibition is about loose ends. Loose ends contain a space for the imagination of the viewer."'
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Many of the Jongerius pieces are taken from Moss and Getchell's personal collections. Pictured is a work titled 'Soft Cupboard'. Photography: courtesy of Murray Moss and Franklin Getchell
'Giant Prince' by Hella Jongerius, 2000. Photography: courtesy of Murray Moss and Franklin Getchell
'Long Neck' and 'Grove Bottles' (left) by Hella Jongerius, 2000, bring together glass and porcelain - two materials that harden at different temperatures. The 'Shippo Plate', 2007, is a contemporary interpretation of cloisonné techniques. Right: 'Delft in Detail B-set Jug' by Hella Jongerius, 2001 sees traditional decorations transformed into a modern expression
'Soft Urn' by Hella Jongerius 1993 and 'East River Chair' 2014 for Vitra
Also within the fair, Dienst + Dotter is showing the 'Harp Chair' by Jørgen Høvelskov, 1968, featuring three wooden legs that are curved like an old Viking ship
'Bird Cage Installation for Quails' by Tage Andersen,1947, at Dienst + Dotter
'Pair of Corolle Chairs', by Janine Abraham & Dirk Jan Rol, 1957, at Demisch Danant
Ammann Gallery was one of the exhibitors to participate in Collective Settings; a series of installations that sees an exhibitor work with a designer of their choice to create an inhabitable surrounding for their objects. The German gallery worked with Suchi Reddy to design their booth
A pair of 'Wood Fossil AP Stools' by Nucleo, 2014 at Ammann Gallery. Right: Kinder Modern continues to champion good design for kids with nesting 'Alvar Aalto Tables' from 1935, and a pair of 'Parrot Lamps' by HT Huang, 1980s, Taiwan
Left: A pair of vintage children's chairs at Kinder Modern. Right: 'Toucano Lamp' by Steven Scarloff, designed in the late 1960s, early 1970s, exhibited by Kinder Modern
Flower pots from India Madhavi's Landscape series exhibited by Carwan Gallery, Beirut
A first look at the new 'Lines & Waves Marble' collection of ridged marble tables and accessories by Tomas Alonso, 2014
Commissioned by Victor Hunt, the Brussels-based design art dealer, each component comes with ridges that neatly fit into the grooves of the tables' surface
Left: At London's 88 Gallery booth, Ignazio Gardella's 'Wall Mounted Bookcase' for Azucena, 1955, stands in front of a cast bronze table by Ado Chale. Right: A collection of vases by Stig Lindberg, Gunnar Nyland and Carl-Harry Stalhane, 1950, at Collective Focus: Scandinavia, showcasing Scandinavian design, curated by the new MAD director, Glenn Adamson
If only our kitchens were stocked with utensils that looked as good as Carl Aubock's
'Light Table', by Joseph Andre Motte, 1958, shown by Demisch Danant
'Low Table' by Andre Monpoix, 1955, shown by Demisch Danant
A unique set of dining chairs for the Keirkner residence, by Eliel Saarinen (father of Eero Saarinen) Helsinki, 1907, exhibited by Modernity, Stockholm. Each has an oak frame with marquetry of birch, ebony, mahogany and pewter, finished with leather upholstery
Miniature models illustrating Lucas Mullié's Time Restaurant concept, in which he introduces the role of the food curator - part chef, part landscape architect
These models are presented at the Design Academy Eindhoven booth
Wallpaper by architect Alan Wanzenberg, inspired by his drawings from his youth, on show at the 1950s booth
'Naturoscopie I' by Noé Duchaufour-Lawrance, 2012. Image courtesy of Galerie BSL
'Corner Bench #53' by Donald Judd, 1990. Image courtesy of Nicolas Kliner
A pair of large unmatched 18 carat gold earrings with black ebony rods by Ettore Sottsass. Produced in an edition of nine by Cleto Munari, Milan, between 1984 and 1986. Image courtesy of Didier Ltd
'Diz' chair by Sergio Rodrigues, 2002. Image courtesy of R & Company
'Bubbles Table Lamp' by Achille Salvagni, 2013. Photography: Robert Levin, courtesy of Maison Gerard
'Arch Lamp 2' by Sterling Lawrence, 2012, exhibited by Volume Gallery
A 1930s chaise lounge and a steamed bent oak lounge chair, 1936, both by Marcel Breuer, exhibited by Modernity
A chair by Sven Ivar Dysthe, 1960, and table by Arne Halvorsen, 1970, both exhibited by Fuglen
Hailing from Oslo, the multi-faceted Fuglen is not only renowned for its coffee and cocktail bar, but deals in Norwegian mid-century vintage design too
'Calligraphy II' by Taher Chemirik, 2014, made for the first time in oxidised steel and exhibited by Galerie BSL
Djim Berger's 'Lightweight Porcelain Stools', 2010-2013, are made from porcelain mixed with melted Styrofoam beads to create a porous, coral-like texture at Galerie BSL
Left: 'Rare Table Lamp, circa 1940' by Pietro Chiesa for Fontana Arte, made from glass, brass and Aluminium at Donzella 20th Century Gallery. Right: A chair from the late 1940s by Oswaldo Dorsan at Donzella 20th Century Gallery
Jewellery specialist Didier Limited championed the idea of jewellery as sculpture with these head ornaments by Wahei Ikezawa, 1985, made from sterling silver
Pei-Ru Keh is a former US Editor at Wallpaper*. Born and raised in Singapore, she has been a New Yorker since 2013. Pei-Ru held various titles at Wallpaper* between 2007 and 2023. She reports on design, tech, art, architecture, fashion, beauty and lifestyle happenings in the United States, both in print and digitally. Pei-Ru took a key role in championing diversity and representation within Wallpaper's content pillars, actively seeking out stories that reflect a wide range of perspectives. She lives in Brooklyn with her husband and two children, and is currently learning how to drive.
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