michèle lamy's exhibition in dubai shifts between light & darkness

chiaroscuro at ICD Brookfield Place in dubai

ICD Brookfield Place Arts in Dubai presents Chiaroscuro, a new exhibition of twenty artists and designers curated by the fashion icon Michèle Lamy, jointly with Carpenters Workshop Gallery. From Rick Owens, Nacho Carbonell, Studio Drift, and leading regional voices such as Latifa Saeed and Omar Al Gurg, the participants come together to explore the dichotomy of light and dark. Running at the same time as the Art Dubai fair, the exhibition finds inspiration in the city’s starkly contrasting landscape as it shifts from day to night, as well as in the charm of ICD Brookfield Place. ‘Light and dark was more of a feeling that was related to the architecture of this place, which is entirely open to the world with its windows. The essence was knowing that we had captured the local spirit and could do things with what we had and make it simple with a few pieces that symbolize night and day,’ Michèle Lamy tells designboom.

installation view of Chiaroscuro at ICD Brookfield Place, Dubai | courtesy ICD Brookfield Place Arts & Carpenters Workshop Gallery | image © Ismail Noor | @ismailnoor

michèle lamy’s curatorial trace, from dark to light

Michèle Lamy (see more here) and ICD Brookfield Place‘s Malak Abu-Qaoud divide the show in Dubai into these two states, beginning with ‘The Darkness’ and inviting viewers into a mysterious space where beguiling forms take shape in the depths. This section is rooted primarily in work by fashion designer Rick Owens. The tigré pattern of his Gallic Chair evokes alternating shadows that ground the artist’s practice in the rich materials of stone and wood. Many works in this section incorporate the rich brown hues of bronze, with imposing forms catching subdued light in Wendell Castle‘s The Light of Darkness, while Atelier Van Lieshout‘s Blast Furnace Cabinet and Mammal Lamp use an industrial aesthetic to imagine a synthesis of man and machine. Kendell Geers then unsettles and challenges the viewer with the muted masked works of Flesh of the Spirit, which merge bronze with old broken materials to question our perception of African art.

The Light of Darkness (2012), Wendell Castle, Castle 12 | stained ash, oil finish

From here, ‘The Light’ at Chiaroscuro becomes an evocation of fire and is celebrated as ‘nature’s sculptor.’’ This part of the exhibition explores the power of light and its ability to bend materials on various scales – from the glass and metals used to build the city of Dubai to intricate objects of astounding beauty crafted by true masters. The exhibition attempts to redefine materiality through the various objects on display, pushing the material boundary through its medium, colour and finishing. For example, as in the smooth, artfully curved concrete of Rick Owens’ Pedaló chair and rare marble of Curial White Marble, as well as Vincenzo de Cotiis’ reimagined Renaissance arches, and the malleability of stone and glass in David/Nicolas’ table Constellation C020.

installation view of Chiaroscuro at ICD Brookfield Place, Dubai | courtesy ICD Brookfield Place Arts & Carpenters Workshop Gallery | image © Ismail Noor

Similarly, Khaled Zaki’s marble sculpture Serene continues his recent work representing human and animal subjects in abstract, geometric forms. Inspired by the traditional hair braiding practices of the women in the United Arab Emirates, Latifa Saeed additionally presents a special edition of her Braided series created in collaboration with studio MĒRU. As for conceptual Artist Zeinab Alhashemi, her experiments with various materials positions the viewer over the intangible boundary between the natural and artificial. While her work is reminiscent of the traditional landscape due to color and textures, such familiarity is quickly disturbed by the striking contrast from industrial materials such as steel – suddenly reminding of human interference.

Michèle Lamy at the opening night of Chiaroscuro in Dubai | image © designboom

Other works use light as an essential part of their composition. Studio Drift’s Fragile Futures sits at the intersection of nature and technology, using hundreds of dandelion heads fixed to a copper lattice. Meanwhile, the Verhoeven Twins create valleys and voids that invite viewers to explore shape and light through their floating glass bubble sculptures. Lamy then considers the influx of color illuminated by light through vivid works inspired by the Pop Art movement, namely Maarten Baas’s Children’s Clocks, the Campana Brothers’ Dolphins and Sharks Banquete Chair, Jose Davila’s Lichtenstein-inspired prints, Martin Laforêt’s concrete Variations seats, and Studio Job’s cartoon-like sculptures. Similarly characterized by pure gestures of color, Roger Herman’s ceramic vases present a differing neo-expressionist approach.

Verhoeven Twins, CA’ D’ORO #6, 2019 | borosilicate glass, iridescent oil, fixing parts

Lastly, two contrasting works by Nacho Carbonell illustrate the polarities of Chiaroscuro by Michèle Lamy. Bathed in light, the polychromatic canopy of Combi Cocoon 2 shines with a warmth reminiscent of the Spanish artist’s homeland, while the brooding glow lights punctuate the voluminous black shades of Inside a Forest. Also straddling both light and dark, Omar Al Gurg exhibits his uniquely interactive, fun and playful style in his customisable Spike sculptures. Populating the central atrium of ICD Brookfield Place with innovative pieces by the most exciting global art and design talent of today, Chiaroscuro by Michèle Lamy demonstrates the importance of both day and night in moulding our understanding of the world: without one, the other cannot exist.

installation view of Chiaroscuro at ICD Brookfield Place, Dubai | courtesy ICD Brookfield Place Arts & Carpenters Workshop Gallery | image © Ismail Noor

a pool of regional and international artists

Participants at the exhibition are as follows: Omar Al Gurg, Zeinab Alhashemi, Talal Al Najjar, Maarten Baas, Aldo Bakker, Campana Brothers, Nacho Carbonell, Wendell Castle, Jose Davila, Vincenzo De Cotiis, Studio Drift, Kendell Geers, Roger Herman, Studio Job, Martin Laforêt, David/Nicolas, Rick Owens, Latifa Saeed, Isaac Sullivan, Verhoeven Twins, Atelier Van Lieshout and Khaled Zaki. When asked about the pool of creatives, Michèle Lamy explains that ‘it was important to continue the dialogue we established with the local artists. […]’There is something noble here, and I hope that what we show in the exhibition is noble too, with the same spirit.’

Adding to Lamy’s words, Malak Abu Qaoud reflects on her role as head of Arts and Events at ICD Brookfield Place: ‘I like to look at artists who are serious practitioners, who spend a lot of time in the studio, who have a specific style that they’re working on, and it’s really easy to spot […] We like to show accessible art, which means that everyone can really understand it, regardless of background. We’re not constrained to a certain type of art — where we can, we’re so flexible. […] Also, in the beginning, it was really difficult to try to get an arts program in a very corporate financial setting. I think a lot of people didn’t really understand it. But right now, four years into the program, I think we’ve finally established our place.’ Chiaroscuro is presented by ICD Brookfield Place Arts in collaboration with Carpenters Workshop Gallery, 27 February – 15 March 2024, icdbrookfieldplace.com.

installation view of Chiaroscuro at ICD Brookfield Place, Dubai | courtesy ICD Brookfield Place Arts & Carpenters Workshop Gallery | image © Ismail Noor