Top 10 picks from Nomad St Moritz
The art world’s glitterati and collectors descended on the quiet and picturesque Alpine village of Samedan for the second edition of the travelling design showcase Nomad (8-11 February). Donning oversized sunglasses and their finest winter gear, they gathered at the Samedan’s Chesa Planta, a magnificent 16th-century stately patrician house. The event, which distinguishes itself from traditional art and design fairs by exhibiting works in breathtaking architectural locations, was launched last April in Monaco at Villa La Vigie – a vast cliff-top mansion that overlooks Monte Carlo Beach Club. Its wintertime sequel was no less spectacular. Swapping the coast for the piste, Nomad St Moritz showcased works from over 20 galleries across Chesa Planta’s wood-panelled baroque interiors. Here are our highlights...
Photography: Studio Vedet / Giulia Piermatiri
Ever the perfectionist, Nina Yashar of Milan’s Gallery Nilufar created a complete interior in one of Chesa’s many drawing rooms. Complementing the soft red walls, a series of specially commissioned embellished textile screens were created by London studio Tibor. Elsewhere in the space, tufty white upholstery by the likes of Joaquin Teneiro and Martin Eisler nodded to the snowy surroundings
Francis Sultana carefully surveyed the Chesa’s Alpine interiors before selecting a blue and green drawing room to display David Gill Gallery’s wares. To match the interiors, Sultana – who serves as the gallery’s CEO – commissioned a wooden table by Mattia Bonetti, which was handpainted to appear like an unusually vibrant green and blue marble. In its centre, a coveted candelabra by André Dubreuil (recently released from a private collection) sold even before the show opened
Contrasting with the traditional Alpine surrounds, Galleria Luisa delle Piane exhibited playful totem-like works by the likes of Josef Hoffmann, Ettore Sottsass and Andrea Branzi. Pictured: A series of expressive vases by Andrea Branzi were made especially for the Milanese gallerist
Here Sottsass’ ‘Asteroid’ Lamp contrasts against the Chesa Planta’s red damask wallpaper
In keeping with the Alpine theme, Gallery Fumi presented the work of Thomas Lemut, Glithero and Sam Orlando Miller, whose mirror table caught reflections in the ceiling arches of Chesa
From Copenhagen, design gallery Etage Projects embraced the Chesa’s Engadin location by exhibiting ice-like works by FOS, Sabine Marcelis, Guillermo Santoma, Fredrik Paulsen and Soft Baroque. While FOS’s ‘Mountain Vases’ mimicked the rocky surface of a snow-capped mountain, Sabine Marcelis’ matte resin pieces recalled frosted glass or ice
Apalazzo Gallery celebrated Memphis with a series of works by Nathalie du Pasquier displayed alongside works by Paolo Gonzato
The gallery – which now has locations across with world – joined together sculptural artists in their showing including British designer Max Lamb and Brazilian artist Artur Lescher
The Beirut gallery co-headed by Nomad co-founder Nicolas Bellavance-Lecompte, Carwan, paid homage to the setting with a mountain-shaped wall-hanging by Taher Asad Bakhtiari. Bakhtiari works with semi-nomadic Iranian weavers to create contemporary updates on kilim and gabbeh rugs that each take between four to five months to produce
Ceramic works with colourful viscous glazes by Mary-Lynn Massoud and Rasha Nawam adorned surfaces alongside amorphous glass vases by Massimo Micheluzzi
Tucked away by the Chesa’s grand entrance, Maniera gallery from Brussels occupied an ornate timber-paneled room. On the floor a richly textured Animal Mask rug by Swiss designer Christoph Hefti provided the backdrop for Studio Anne Holtrop’s monolithic mirror made up of intersecting panels of wood painted to look like stone by hyperrealist Belgian artist Sylvie Van der Kelen-Logelain
At the top of multiple flights of stairs, hidden in the Chesa’s rarely-accessed library space, Nomad co-founder Giorgio Pace teamed with Rita Selvaggio to create a special exhibition named ’A Mind of Winter’ – a title taken from the opening line of Walter Steven’s poem ‘The Snow Man’, which played out over the speakers. Plunged in darkness, guests were invited to discover the wintry artworks with specially made lanterns by Thierry Dreyfuss. Pictured: Forgotten photographs of St. Moritz in the 1910s by French photographer and painter Jacques-Henri Lartigue were on show as part of A Mind of Winter. Photography by Andrea Rossetti, @ Giorgio Pace Project