Heavy hitter: Paris design gallery James makes solid Art Gèneve debut

The Paris-based design gallery James makes its Art Genève debut today, keeping things grounded with a heavy-hitting crop of pieces – some previously unseen – by Fernando Mastrangelo, Magnus Pettersen, Zanini de Zanine and Domingos Tótora.
Tótora’s sublime designs made from recycled cardboard have resurfaced at the Swiss art fair, following a solo showcase at James last year. His ‘Banco Terrao’ bench, with its fierce burnt-umber hue, once again makes for a memorable focal point. Elsewhere, the Brooklyn-based Mastrangelo provides the perfect perch with his ombré cement bench, a Jeckyll-and-Hyde piece that evocatively devolves from clinical, minimalist shapes into a raw, robust form.
Norwegian designer Pettersen is exhibiting a chair made from a colourful medley of concrete, while de Zanine, counters with a chunky riff on reclaimed wood seating. Here, the designer adds a dose of Brazilian modernism with a pair of his solid ‘Espécies’ chairs. As is the case so often with exquisitely crafted objects, the spheres of design and art become wonderfully entwined.
Drift’, by Fernando Mastrangelo, 2015
Detail of ’Drift’, by Fernando Mastrangelo, 2015
’Especies’, by Zanini de Zanine, 2014
’Untitled’, by Magnus Pettersen, 2015
’Terrao’, by Domingos Tótora, 2015
INFORMATION
‘Heavy’ is on view at Booth 27 until 31 January. For more information visit the James gallery website
ADDRESS
Art Genève
Palexpo, Hall 2
Geneva
Switzerland
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