NEW YORK, NY.- Twenty First Gallery, in collaboration with Parisian based gallery, Galerie Gosserez, is presenting the first NYC solo exhibition of artist and designer Valentin Loellmann. The German-born artist is renowned for his meticulous construction of material, texture and shapes, resulting in dream-like furnishings that perfectly blend form, feeling and function. The exhibition also marks the first time Valentin Loellmann is in New York City to introduce a selection of his expressive pieces ranging over several collections. Valentin Loellmann’s Solo Show runs through July 19, 2019 at Twenty First Gallery (76 Franklin Street, New York, NY 10013).

Highlights of the exhibit include Valentin Loellmann’s Steps 1x12, a sculptural staircase of mirror polished stainless steel and crotch walnut; Blue Brass, a stunning coffee table in resin and massive brass; Brass bench in walnut and massive brass; Copper sideboard in charred wood and patinated copper; and Steps 2/6 in copper and charred walnut. Valentin Loellmann likes to think of his work as rhizomatic in the sense that it bursts from an underground net of lines until it creates a shape. These shapes are constantly evolving into new works, so that he never knows exactly what they are going to be.

Also on display, Valentin Loellmann’s newest creations, most of which were inspired in the past three years after establishing his new studio/workshop space in Maastricht, Netherlands. As form mostly comes with function nowadays, most of his pieces are categorized as furniture design. As for the new works, they tend to stray away from the typical form of furniture: still functional but can also stand alone as sculptural creations.

“It’s entirely natural for me to build something out of nothing. I never sketch. Early on in my life I learned how to capture certain situations and moments, a specific atmosphere or feeling in my thoughts, detail it further in my mind by putting myself right into it. Watching rooms and spaces filled with people and imagining the different interactions amongst the environment and humans living within. Not myself in the center, but as a sideline observer,” says Valentin Loellmann.

Each creation is meticulously thought out, from the authenticity of textures and materials to the smallest details - edges, undersides, joints and hinges. Exploring boundaries and seeking to materialize ideas and feelings, the result creates dream-like poetics of materials and space that redefines function and symbolism as well as the viewer’s outlook on materiality.

Sensitive and driven by great curiosity, Valentin Loellmann observes his environment minutely and retranscribes his emotions through the objects that he creates. Between design and sculpture, Loellmann creates hand-made objects out of wood, his favorite material, relentlessly enhancing its warmth with copper, brass and steel for a surprising and original aesthetical approach.