‘Tra L'Occhio e L'Ombra’: Sam Orlando Miller gets illusory at Gallery Fumi

Gallery Fumi celebrates British designer Sam Orlando Miller with an exhibition of new works at its Hoxton Square space. Titled ‘Tra L'Occhio e L'Ombra’ (an Italian title meaning 'between the eye and the shadow'), this is the first solo show for the sculptor, better known for his graphic mirrors.
The exhibition presents two new collections, Sguardo Cubetti and Nostalgia Futuro, each exploring Miller’s visual language and expanding his aesthetic research. The designer once again worked with mirrored surfaces and geometric shapes to create the two series of objects, offering a new layer to his work.
The Sguardo Cubetti series includes six pieces shaped as trompe l’oeil grids. The large three-dimensional sculptures combine different mirror colours (obsidian grey, amber, midnight blue) with painted panels. ‘A box with a door,’ Miller calls each piece; the series is based on simple geometric illusions, made precious by the brilliant colour treatments.
Notalgia Futuro, meanwhile, comprises four wall-hanging pieces that merge mirrored surfaces with studio interior scenes painted onto patinated panels. Yet another illusion, the pieces are non-mirrors that ‘transform the hard reality into a world of softness and ambiguity’, says the designer.
Ombra e Riflesso completes the show’s rich composition; it’s a small sculpture featuring two owl figurines, offering a novel organic approach to his work. Made of marble quartz, green mirror and oak, the pair is expressive and puzzling, inspired by Miller’s close encounter with an owl.
‘Opening a box always offers the chance of the unexpected,’ says Miller. ‘A small thrill of anticipation irrespective of what the box might or might not contain. This work is about that moment; between the visible and the invisible, inside and outside, reality and illusion.’
Titled ‘Tra L’Occhio e L’Ombra’ (an Italian title meaning 'between the eye and the shadow'), this is the first solo show for the sculptor, better known for his graphic mirrors
The exhibition presents two new collections, Sguardo Cubetti and Nostalgia Futuro, among others
A sketch by Miller depicting the concept behind his Sguardo Cubetti sculptures
The Sguardo Cubetti series includes six pieces shaped as trompe l’oeil grids
The large three-dimensional sculptures combine different mirror colours (obsidian grey, amber, midnight blue) with painted panels
Notalgia Futuro comprises four wall-hanging pieces that merge mirrored surfaces with studio interior scenes painted onto patinated panels; the pieces are non-mirrors that ‘transform the hard reality into a world of softness and ambiguity’, says the designer
Ombra e Riflesso completes the show’s rich composition: it’s a small sculpture featuring two owl figurines, offering a novel organic approach to his work. Made of marble quartz, green mirror and oak, the pair is expressive and puzzling
Miller calls each piece from the Sguardo Cubetti collection ‘A box with a door’ – the series is based on simple geometric illusions, made precious by the brilliant colour treatments
‘Opening a box always offers the chance of the unexpected,’ says Miller. ‘A small thrill of anticipation irrespective of what the box might or might not contain'
INFORMATION
’Tra L’Occhio e L’Ombra’ is on view until 30 June. For more information, visit Gallery Fumi’s website
Photography courtesy of Helen Miller for Gallery FUMI
ADDRESS
Gallery Fumi
16 Hoxton Square
London, N1 6NT
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox.
Rosa Bertoli was born in Udine, Italy, and now lives in London. Since 2014, she has been the Design Editor of Wallpaper*, where she oversees design content for the print and online editions, as well as special editorial projects. Through her role at Wallpaper*, she has written extensively about all areas of design. Rosa has been speaker and moderator for various design talks and conferences including London Craft Week, Maison & Objet, The Italian Cultural Institute (London), Clippings, Zaha Hadid Design, Kartell and Frieze Art Fair. Rosa has been on judging panels for the Chart Architecture Award, the Dutch Design Awards and the DesignGuild Marks. She has written for numerous English and Italian language publications, and worked as a content and communication consultant for fashion and design brands.
-
The ultimate beach accessory? The Fiat Topolino Vilebrequin is a true meeting of minds
Fiat has teamed up with swimwear specialists Vilebrequin to create a Collector’s Edition of the pint-sized Topolino EV that pays homage to the glamour of Riviera life
-
Multi-functional furniture, integrated planting and a felt landscape shape this new office
Zeller & Moye’s new HQ space for a German IT company has been designed to accommodate every kind of office working situation, from introverted cubicles through to flexible open-plan spaces
-
Step inside a Hollywood Hills home where European design meets Californian ease
LA studio Broad Project takes us inside its cinematic renovation of a 1960s Spanish Revival home in the Hollywood Hills
-
Leila Bartell’s cloudscapes are breezily distorted, a response to an evermore digital world
‘Memory Fields’ is the London-based artist’s solo exhibition at Tristan Hoare Gallery (until 25 July 2025)
-
A bespoke 40m mixed-media dragon is the centrepiece of Glastonbury’s new chill-out area
New for 2025 is Dragon's Tail – a space to offer some calm within Glastonbury’s late-night area with artwork by Edgar Phillips at its heart
-
Emerging artist Kasia Wozniak’s traditional photography techniques make for ethereal images
Wozniak’s photographs, taken with a 19th-century Gandolfi camera, are currently on show at Incubator, London
-
Vincent Van Gogh and Anselm Kiefer are in rich and intimate dialogue at the Royal Academy of Arts
German artist Anselm Kiefer has paid tribute to Van Gogh throughout his career. When their work is viewed together, a rich relationship is revealed
-
Alice Adams, Louise Bourgeois, and Eva Hesse delve into art’s ‘uckiness’ at The Courtauld
New exhibition ‘Abstract Erotic’ (until 14 September 2025) sees artists experiment with the grotesque
-
What is recycling good for, asks Mika Rottenberg at Hauser & Wirth Menorca
US-based artist Mika Rottenberg rethinks the possibilities of rubbish in a colourful exhibition, spanning films, drawings and eerily anthropomorphic lamps
-
Get lost in Megan Rooney’s abstract, emotional paintings
The artist finds worlds in yellow and blue at Thaddaeus Ropac London
-
Out of office: the Wallpaper* editors’ picks of the week
It was a jam-packed week for the Wallpaper* staff, entailing furniture, tech and music launches and lots of good food – from afternoon tea to omakase