Hasta La Ideas

Africa by Design is a platform that promotes designers from sub-Safaran Africa. Founder Chrissa Amuah spoke to Dezeen about the programme in a live interview earlier this month and here presents a selection of products from the stable.

Amuah, who also runs London-based studio AMWA Designs, established Africa by Design to give the design talent in the region “the respect that it is due”.

“What leads me naturally to the design of my heritage is that there’s soul in it, there’s life and it goes beyond surface level,” she said. “I was doing research that I was coming across so many other incredible African designers that just didn’t have the platform to showcase their work in a way that I’ve benefited from.”

“That’s where the idea of Africa by design was born: this idea of creating a platform that celebrates the best of African design talent and showcases it to the world in a way that hasn’t been given the respect that it’s due.”

Africa by Design launched in 2017 with an exhibition at the Nubuke Foundation in Accra, which was co-curated by Wallpaper* editor-at-large Suzanne Trocmé.

“Africa can, with enough exposure, create an industry around design with such talents at the forefront,” said Trocmé at the time.

Africa by Design now works with 35 designers from seven countries, organising exhibitions and helping creatives establish commercial networks. Here is a selection of designers and objects from the stable.

Asanka coffee table by Chrissa Amuah, Ghana

Chrissa Amuah was born and raised in London with a heritage that includes Ghana, Togo and Benin. She is founder and creative director of AMWA Designs. The studio creates homewares and products inspired by traditional Ghanaian Adinkra symbols, which are both decorative and symbolic.

The Asanka coffee table is topped with an asanka – a wide, shallow clay bowl traditionally used to grind and blend food in west Africa. The base is made of stacked wooden disks based on the form of the Adinkrahene, which is regarded as the most important of all the Adinkra symbols.

Boraatii stool by Jomo Furniture, Ethiopia

Based in Springfield, Virginia, Ethiopian-American designer Jomo Tariku of Jomo Furniture infuses his work with African art and culture. The height-adjustable Boraatii stool, which can also serve as a table, is inspired by headrests used in the Oromia region of Ethiopia, which are used to protect elaborate hairstyles at night. The word “boraati” means “tomorrow-you” in the Oromiffaa language.

Sisi Eko floor lamp by Studio Lani, Nigeria

Raised in Nigeria, Lani Adeoye of Studio Lani has lived in Lagos, Montreal, Toronto, and New York, where she studied design at Parsons. In 2017, she won Wanted Design’s Launch Pad competition for furniture.

Sisi Eko is a steel floor lamp inspired by west African sculptures that celebrate the female form. The name derives from a Yoruba term meaning “Lagos lady”.

Àdùnní armchair by Ile Ila, Nigeria

Nigerian architect Tosin Oshinowo is the founder of Lagos practice cmDesign Atelier. In 2017 she launched design brand lé Ilà, which means “house of lines’ in Yoruba. The brand produces furniture and accessories that celebrate Yoruba culture, with all the products being hand-made in Lagos.

The Àdùnní (“daughter of the sweet one”) armchair is described as “a celebration of African modernism”. It is made of Nigeria teak and is upholstered in Yoruba asò-oké textiles.

LM Stool by NMBello Studio, Nigeria

Industrial design studio NMBello Studio is based in central Lagos. Founded by Nifemi Marcus-Bello, it explores resourceful ways of creating contemporary objects using locally available skills and materials.

The LM Stool is a steel seat developed after examining the spare production capacity of a factory that makes steel cases for power generators. The design reduces the amount of steel needed to the minimum required to ensure stability and rigidity.

Ile fruit bowl by Jade Folawiyo, Nigeria

Jade Folawiyo combines the cultures of Nigeria and London in her work. A graduate of the product design course at Central Saint Martins, she works with artisans to reinterpret traditional forms and techniques. The Ile fruit bowl combines a calabash, typically used as a drinking vessel, with a glazed earthenware base.

Pedestal + Duniake by Ifeanyi Oganwu, Nigeria

Expand Design is a London design studio founded by Nigerian-born Ifeanyi Oganwu. It works on projects including furniture, jewellery and exhibition design.

The Pedestal + Duniake seat was designed to showcase fabrics by Toghal, a UK brand that produces African-inspired homewares. Produced as a limited edition, it features a moulded birch plywood base with an architectural form topped by two cylindrical bolsters, called duniake. These are upholstered in a printed fabric designed by Nairobi-born artist Phoebe Boswell.

Tabouret Sandrine Noir by Jean Servais Somian, Ivory Coast 

Jean Servais Somian’s studio Somian Design is based in Paris and Abidjan, the capital of Ivory Coast and the place of his birth. His work often involves repurposing used materials including metal, coconut wood and even used canoes. Tabouret Sandrine Noir is a stool shaped like a vase carved from a coconut-tree log.

The post Eight products by African designers selected by Africa by Design appeared first on Dezeen.

For almost 30 years, Creative Review ran a scheme called Creative Futures, celebrating the best and brightest new talent entering the industry. Here, we talk to 1990 alumnus Marion Deuchars about how her career has developed

The post Creative Futures Revisited: Marion Deuchars appeared first on Creative Review.

I had no idea the Apple Watch could even do this! When it’s submerged in water, it automatically goes into “Water Lock” mode and the screen no longer responds to touch (presumably to protect internal components). Once you’re out of the water, you can spin the Digital Crown, and the watch then spits the water out of its speaker holes.

Gav of the Slow Mo Guys demonstrates this brilliant feature in slow motion:

Dans ses oeuvres, Jazz Keilor explore, de façon poétique, « les façons sont nous, humains du XXIème siècle, accumulons, utilisons et ritualisons des objets », comme elle l’explique sur son site internet.  Cette dernière examine également la façon avec laquelle ces actions « s’inscrivent dans le cadre plus large de l’expérience collective ». Basée à Vancouver, en Colombie Britanique, cette artiste émergente manie l’équilibre avec brio. Sa démarche et son cheminement artistique se font ressentir dans ses œuvres. On peut y  trouver, par exemple, une pile de différents objets tellement bien disposés qu’ils s’y trouvent tous à leur place. On se plait alors à regarder les différents détails ainsi disposés.

Pour découvrir l’ensemble de son travail, rendez-vous sur son site internet ou son Instagram

Ten groundbreaking artworks from what would have been the fair’s Swiss edition

The centerpiece of the annual art fair circuit, Switzerland’s Art Basel celebrates its 50th anniversary with their latest edition, now accessible to all who register online. Of course, all the work this year is presented within Online Viewing Rooms, where each participating gallery hosts 15 works. As expected, some pieces offer unfathomable amounts of inspiration—even though they’re set behind computer screens. We’ve selected 10 highlights, drawn from the 282 galleries, that represent the breadth and depth of the artistry, and include sculpture, painting and photography.

Lynette Yiadom-Boakye’s “Sister to a Solstice” (2018)

Shown through Jack Shainman Gallery (and already sold), British painter Lynette Yiadom-Boakye’s stunning “Sister to a Solstice” (2018) depicts three women in an intimate but celebratory moment. This oil-on-linen work emphasizes the connection between the figures through the body language of its meticulously staged figurative subjects.

Genevieve Gaignard’s “The Line Up (Grey)” (2017)

Genevieve Gaignard’s chromogenic print “The Line Up (Grey)” (2017) achieves an intense connection between the woman who is its subject and the viewer. The photograph, presented within Vielmetter Los Angeles’ booth, which celebrates their 20th anniversary as a gallery, represents only one facet of the type of work Gaignard produces.

Toyin Ojih Odutola’s “A Parting Gift; Hers and Hers, Only” (2019)

Another from Jack Shainman Gallery, American-Nigerian visual artist Toyin Ojih Odutola’s “A Parting Gift; Hers and Hers, Only” (2019) highlights two figures engaged in a passionate kiss—rendered in nuanced grayscale by way of chalk and charcoal on board. The work hails from her series that “imagines the archaeological discovery of a repository of black shale sheets depicting scenes from a lost civilization in the Jos Plateau region of Nigeria,” according to the gallery.

Kerry James Marshall’s “Untitled (Blot)” (2015)

An acrylic work on PVC, Kerry James Marshall’s “Untitled (Blot)” (2015) hails from his acclaimed Blots series, wherein the artist “utilizes the language of abstraction to suggest alternative ways in which Black experiences are formally manifested in painting.” These abstract works are a departure from his more familiar figurative imagery, but carry the same captivating vibrance. David Zwirner presented the work.

Wangechi Mutu’s “The Claw” (2018)

Assembled from wood, cow horns, paper pulp, acrylic, glass beads, and more, Kenyan-American artist Wangechi Mutu’s “The Claw” (2018) incorporates material found in the dirt around her studio. Presented by Gladstone Gallery, the mesmerizing, metaphoric piece references the sense of uprooting and displacement the artist felt in moving from Nairobi to NYC.

Sonia Gomes’ “Colméia” (2005)

72-year-old Brazilian artist Sonia Gomes’ “Colméia” (2005), shown by Mendes Wood DM gallery, utilizes fabrics, laces and various bindings to build a multi-dimensional sculpture that hints at the person missing from within it. This work in particular aims to celebrate the artist’s Black heritage.

Derrick Adams’ “Neil deGrasse Tyson” (2019)

From the New Icons series of acclaimed American visual artist Derrick Adams, the “Neil deGrasse Tyson” (2019) work features two large oil paint emoji that come together to represent the identity of its title subject matter. Presented by Luxembourg and Dayan, the work was completed by hand after a process through an adapted CNC milling machine.

Sanam Khatibi’s “Seymour” (2020)

Born in Tehran, Belgian artist Sanam Khatibi works from Brussels on a repertoire that includes sculptures and tapestries. With “Seymour” (2020), an oil-on-panel landscape painting shown by NYC’s PPOW gallery, she presents a moment of contemplation. The setting requires close attention and captivates with its mystery.

Min Yoon’s “” (2019)

Presented by Lars Friedrich gallery, South Korean artist Min Yoon’s oil on linen painting “” (2019), with merino wool, aims to examine “the small shifts between different cultures of identification. The way they interweave mystical with capitalist rituals can be understood as a pragmatic evaluation of the present.” There’s a muted beauty to the work—as well as others in the series.

Jeffrey Gibson’s “I Gotta Get Ahold of Myself” (2020)

Jeffrey Gibson’s acrylic on canvas “I Gotta Get Ahold of Myself” (2020) incorporates beads and “artificial sinew,” set into its wooden frame. The colorful, patterned work—presented by Sikkema Jenkins & Co—channels the artist’s mission to “investigate issues of race, sexuality, religion, and gender—a reflection of his own layered identity,” according to the gallery. In their statement, they continue that “Gibson’s work is a vibrant call for queer and Indigenous empowerment.”

Hero image of “Puerto Rican Day Parade II” (1998) by Martin Wong, courtesy of PPOW