PAD, the unofficial sister event to Frieze Art Fair, opened this week for its annual gallery gathering in London’s Berkeley Square. This year, the Mayfair location factored in more high design than its antique-heavy preceding years, celebrating an exquisite mix of 20th century and contemporary works.
The usual flurry of clean cream and light wood decorated stands were given a run for their money by interior design dame Rose Uniacke. The London-based gallery displayed Scandinavian furniture including Hans Wegner and Mogens Voltelen’s seating against a dramatic blue backdrop and darkened, weathered floors.
Carpenter’s Workshop Gallery presented Wendell Castle’s ergonomic seating, entitled ‘Veiled in a Dream’. Produced in the gallery’s new research hub, the bronze furniture reflects the American artist’s boldly sculptural vision fused with humour.
French designer Hervé Van der Straeten displayed his new abstract origami furniture pieces, inspired by spaceships and flowers, and German photography gallery Daniel Blau calmed the tone with a display of exhilarating NASA photographs, taken from space missions in the 1960s and 70.
Elsewhere, Gallery Fumi collaborated with I Vassalletti’s Francesco Perini, who divided their set up with an artistic patterned wooden screen that complimented the organic works (which included an LDF favourite in Max Lamb’s ’My Grandfather’s Tree’ chair).
It was New York’s Friedman Benda gallery who exhibited perhaps the biggest highlight of the show – Paul Cocksedge’s ’Freeze’ desk. The futuristic, metallic model contained a conceptual line up of copper, silver and gold panels on the tabletop; by being quite so reflective, you couldn’t help but stare.
