gaetano pesce presents a colorful cast of characters for salon 94 at design miami/

at design miami/ 2016, gaetano pesce has filled salon 94’s gallery booth with a colorful cast of characters that leads viewers through a universe of figurative and fantastical forms. the italian designer — renowned for his experimental and vibrant use of industrial materials like polyurethane foam and resin — has presented ‘gli armadi parlanti’ (the talking cabinets), alongside variations on his ‘tree vase’ sculpture series. planted around the booth is the smiling ‘face cabinet’ bearing a sly and sneaky grin; the arborous ‘puglia cabinet’ with papier-mâché markings; and a collection of pesce’s ‘albero vases’ with resin roots that seemingly melt into the floor.

image © designboom

presented by salon 94 design — a collaboration between jeanne greenberg rohatyn and paul johnson — pesce’s ‘armadi parlanti’ presentation speaks to his long involvement with resin, molds and casting techniques. the collection presented at design miami/ blends pesce’s vases — with their colorful, pliable forms — with figurative furniture whose eyes seem to follow you around the room, and luminaries that radiate vibrant hues through semi-translucent resin.

image by james harris

also in miami, coinciding with art week, pesce unveiled ‘tree vase XXL’ — the centerpiece of his latest sculptural series — within the setai miami beach resort’s newly renovated courtyard. complementing the lush, zen-like space, the installation is made from papier-mâché and polyurethane resin and has a surprising flexible form. ‘the tree vase series is a novelty to me,’ pesce says. ‘the tree is alive, it moves under the force of the breeze, it is always different and it is a miracle of nature. all this has inspired me to turn it into a type of work that is very dear to me, the ‘maternal womb vase’. I love to create vases shaped as trees with elastic materials resembling the movement of the trees when touched by the wind.’

image © designboom

image by james harris

image © designboom

image © designboom

image © designboom

image © designboom

image © designboom

image © designboom

image © designboom

image © designboom

image © designboom