Frederik Molenschot presents debut solo sculpture show at Carpenters Workshop Gallery

Sculptures crafted from recycled BMW airbags and oak railway sleepers feature in artist Frederik Molenschot's Atlas 2000 exhibition, which is on display at Carpenters Workshop Gallery in Paris.

Marking the Dutch artist's first solo exhibition, Atlas 2000 features hand-sculpted works that are directly influenced by natural landscapes, Molenschot said.

The show's title refers to the visual diary the artist has created since his studies at Design Academy Eindhoven in 2000.

Buoy Airbag is a sculpture made from recycled BMW airbags

Spread across the minimalist ground floor at the Paris branch of Carpenters Workshop Gallery, the sculptures were crafted from various materials and range from functional to abstract.

Buoy Airbag is an amorphous, pale blue-hued hanging sculpture created from recycled airbags sourced from BMW vehicles.

Frederik Molenschot's debut solo show is on display at Carpenters Workshop Gallery

"The piece delves into the intricate connection between cargo transport and climate change, with recycled airbags symbolising a melting arctic ice rock floating in the sea," the artist told Dezeen.

"I want to explore how luxury materials are used and how they become what they are," he added. "[So] I processed the used airbags in a 'couture' way, to get a very high-quality finish."

Gingerblimp is a bronze LED light sculpture

Molenschot also designed Gingerblimp, a bulbous bronze LED light sculpture characterised by a silver patina and a gold-brushed interior.

The artist explained that the sculpture is a playful take on ginger root from the natural world and also nods to the manmade blimps that form part of New York City's annual Thanksgiving Day Parade.

Recycled oak railway sleepers were salvaged to create furniture

Recycled oak railway sleepers were salvaged to create a chunky dining table and chair, which were named Bridge Beat to "pay homage to the captivating structure of bridges".

Also part of this series is a black bronze desk and chairs formed from gridded lines arranged in triangular formations.

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"Each material was selected purposefully, offering unique properties and textures that complement the conceptual aspects of the artworks," explained Molenschot.

"Every piece is hand-sculpted in our studio."

Molenschot also created oversized clothing

According to Molenschot, the pieces' forms vary as much as their material palettes. In one corner of the gallery, a bobbly bronze glove was positioned underneath a branch-shaped textured lamp while oversized clothing also features in the exhibition.

"This solo show holds a special place in my heart, as it represents my entire artistic journey since my time at the Academy," reflected Molenschot.

"It's an invitation to explore my vision of our world. My 'atlas' is a compendium of research, pictures, designs, and sketches that have shaped me as an artist."

The exhibition runs until mid-September

Known for his large-scale bronze sculptures, Molenschot has been represented by Carpenters Workshop Gallery since 2008. The galley, which also has locations in London and the US, previously exhibited an all-denim furniture show by designer Harry Nuriev.

The late fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld also debuted his first sculpture exhibition at the Paris branch.

Atlas 2000 is on display at Carpenters Workshop Gallery from 1 June to 16 September 2023. SeeDezeen Events Guide for an up-to-date list of architecture and design events taking place around the world.

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Carpenters Workshop Gallery presents design exhibition on heritage, place and identity

Anava Projects and Ashlee Harrison have curated an exhibition by emerging artists from the US and Caribbean at New York's Carpenters Workshop Gallery, which includes sculptures woven from kelp and hand-carved furniture.

Called New Guard: Stories from the New World, the exhibition is part of the New Guard series by international gallery group Carpenters Workshop Gallery, which is based in London, Paris and New York.

Top: Tiarra Bell created an ebonised ash and gold-leaf LED light called Bondage. Above: Isabella Maroon's ceramic sculptures are made from fragments of earlier works

At the gallery's Manhattan location, Stories from the New World showcases pieces by seven emerging artist-designers hailing from the US and the Caribbean, which have been designed using materials ranging from wood and metal to concrete and kelp.

The works intend to unpack themes of heritage, place and identity and include pieces such as towering ceramic sculptures by Isabella Maroon that were created from smashed-up past projects.

Pirouette Lamp by Susannah Weaver is made from raw wool and concrete

The exhibition was curated by the gallery's director of Americas, Ashlee Harrison, in collaboration with guest curators Anna Carnick and Wava Carpenter, founders of creative collective Anava Projects.

"We conceived the title 'Stories from the New World' in response to the narrative-driven nature of these designers’ work – all of whom engage, in their own way, themes of identity, heritage, and place," Carnick and Carpenter told Dezeen.

"It’s also a reference to the historically Eurocentric lens of design discourse as well as the next generation of creative talents, who are bringing vital, multifaceted narratives into the global conversation."

Between Rise & Fall references the urban landscapes of Maryam Turkey's past

For example, artist Maryam Turkey presents Between Rise & Fall, an imagined cityscape crafted from paper pulp and supported by a plywood structure that represents both Baghdad and New York, the two places where she was respectively raised and then fled to with her family in 2009 as a refugee.

"The exhibition frames objects as artefacts of the human experience," acknowledged Carnick and Carpenter.

Wood-laminated furniture by design studio Ibiyanε

Tania Doumbe Fines and Elodie Dérond of Martinique-based sculptural design studio Ibiyanε created Elombe, a series of hand-carved laminated furniture that takes cues from both Caribbean and Sub-Saharan woodwork and the late American sculptor Wendell Castle.

"Dérond and Fines draw inspiration from collective memories of family, using their hand-carved wooden pieces to honour their Caribbean and Cameroonian heritages," said Carnick and Carpenter.

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Other projects featured in the exhibition include Between Salt and Water by Indian-born, New York-based artist Anubha Sood.

Informed by her investigation into the environmental consequences of the textile industry with a focus on India, Sood weaved a whimsical collection of sculptural objects from kelp, linen, cotton and rayon yarn, which are displayed on maroon-coloured plinths.

Anubha Sood crafted sculptural objects from kelp

The pieces seek to raise awareness of the decline of kelp forests due to climate change, whilst also underlining the importance of making creative work as a personal practice.

"All of the work celebrates the storytelling power of design, emphasising design as autobiography," explained Carnick and Carpenter.

A multicoloured sculpture by Isabella Maroon

Stories from the New World follows on from The Graduate(s), a 2017 exhibition by Carpenters Workshop Gallery's London location that was curated by trend forecaster Lidewij Edelkoort and showcased emerging European creatives.

Carnick and Carpenter explained what drew them to work on Stories from the New World.

"When we were approached to guest-curate the latest iteration, we were honoured, recognising that the project would be seen as a departure from the gallery’s esteemed, historically European-based programme," they said.

"We also understood that the show offered a rare, exciting opportunity for unique design voices on this side of the pond to tell design stories not often heard in broader, Eurocentric international conversations."

Architect-designer Jerome Byron offered pieces including a patina steel finish dining table

New Guard is part of Carpenters Workshop Gallery's Next Gen project, an ongoing initiative led by Harrison that supports rising art and design talent.

Other past exhibitions by the gallery include the Slump collection by designer Paul Cocksedge, which comprised furniture made from glass pressed over rocks.

The photography is byMatt Harrington.

New Guard: Stories from the New World is on show at Carpenters Workshop Gallery in New York City from 20 October 2021 to 22 January 2022. SeeDezeen Events Guide for an up-to-date list of architecture and design events taking place around the world.

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