LONDON.- This summer, Gallery FUMI is presenting the second edition of the group exhibition Casa al Mare, alongside a solo exhibition in the lower ground floor space by London-based artist Emma Witter: The Moon’s Daughter is a Pearl.
An exploration of the elegance of the Mediterranean lifestyle and an embrace of the rustic, natural textures we find closer to home, Casa al Mare’s walls of sun-washed blue and terracotta and floors laid in earthy woven sisal invite you to peek into a beautifully crafted home where dolce far niente meets rustic British summer.
Under the spell of Cocteau’s canvas of Villa Santo Sospir, we find the breeze of the riviera intermingling with a desire for nature and its boundless intricacies. Ornamentation fuses with the landscape in each of the works, as the border blurs between material and nature, form and aesthetics, function and beauty.
Beneath the waves of the Mediterranean above, you find precious, sparkling emblems as if re-born out of the deep past of the natural world in The Moon’s Daughter is a Pearl - a solo presentation by Emma Witter. The title, taken from a poem by Anna Souter, traverses the line between the celestial and natural, the forgotten and re discovered, an anthropomorphic carousel of treasure and discovery. Given new life, the works are created from salvaged metals, oyster shells, bones, and other natural remnants.Transformed tenderly through intricate hand modelling and embalmed with precious metal using the delicate, underwater process of electro-forming, we discover copper surfaces encrusted with baroque pearls and interiors layered with pearlescent and metallic pigments. The Moon’s Daughter is a Pearl channels the romantic spirit, a sunken treasure chest as a call to dream. A testament to collaboration, these works bring together the skills of farmers, chefs, artisans, and the artist to transform humble materials into a surreal celebration of local agriculture, craft and community.
New works debuting as part of Casa al Mare includes Archetypes by Kustaa Saksi, a large-scale tapestry work crafted with soft mohair, alpaca wool and cotton in a composition of flickering forms and vivid colors; a bench, console, and dining table from the Pebbles series by Francesco Perini, sculpted with magnificent Tuscan woods in organic forms mimicing pebbles balancing on each other on a beach; and ethereal new vessels from the Djinn Jar series by Leora Honeyman, crafted with experimental mineral combinations with porcelain, pewter, and gold and platinum leaf.
Echoing the waves, soft breezes, and the gentle freedom of the Mediterranean coast, new works by Jeremy Anderson and Carlès & Demarquet speak to the flora and fauna of the French Mediterranean. Anderson’s vessels, lighting sculptures, and tables carry his signature sense of whimsy, while Romain Carlès and Paul Demarquet, making their debut with the gallery, present a dining table and chairs that reinterpret traditional carpentry with sculptural textures reminiscent of Impressionist brushstrokes.
Charlotte Kingsnorth debuts Fuzzy III, part of her Hi!Breed series, with linear forms enveloped in a lush skin of faux fur and sculptural upholstery, and Rowan Mersh presents a sculpture from his Pithvava Praegressus series, composed of meticulously assembled wooden sticks that ripple with a mesmerising, animated fluidity.
Additional artists and designers presenting work in Casa al Mare are atelier lachaert d’hanis, Glithero, JAMESPLUMB, Sam Orlando Miller, Max Lamb, Casey McCafferty, Rowan Mersh, Johannes Nagel, Study O Portable, Voukenas Petrides, and Jie Wu.
Sam Pratt and Valerio Capo comment: ‘We’re thrilled to present the second edition of Casa al Mare this summer. This exhibition allows us to explore design in a sensorial and expressive form. It sits in beautiful harmony with a solo presentation by Emma Witter, an artist who has long held a special place in our hearts. Inviting her to transform the lower ground floor into an ethereal grotto feels like a natural evolution in our collaboration.’
