Yes, it’s the evolution of the ‘pipe,’ looking nothing like your corner pipe shop finds or the home-made pipes of the 1970s. Up In Smoke: Contemporary Studio Artists from the Jewelry, Silversmithing, and Design World Take on Marijuana! Usable Art (much like the wearble art this gallery is known for). Let’s see some of the cool designs they’ve created for Design Miami, opening November 27, 2020, and opening in Hudson, NY in January, 2021.
Celebrated for centuries in the worlds of design, decorative, and applied arts, ‘acceptable vices’ such as imbibing alcohol, tobacco, and snuff etc. are often the subject of fancy silver, glassware, ceramics and more. In the past decade we saw a growing acceptance of marijuana use both therapeutically and recreationally, with full legalization now as part of the Democratic presidential campaign platform. There are so many embedded conversations around racial and economic justice, popular and musical culture, and government overreach in legislating morality to name a few. Yet, examples of high-caliber contemporary design objects made for marijuana use are rare. And, to our knowledge, never before has an exhibition been mounted devoted entirely to the topic.
Participating artists:
Gijs Bakker (Netherlands) ~ Ralph Bakker (Netherlands
David Bielander (Switzerland) ~ Laurene Leon Boym (USA)
David Clarke (United (Kingdom) ~ Aaron Decker (USA)
Karl Fritsch (Germany) ~ Jiro Kamata (Japan)
Anders Ljungberg (Sweden) ~ Tiffany Massey (USA)
Ted Noten (Netherlands) ~ Gerd Rothmann (Germany)
Philip Sajet (Netherlands) ~ Petra Zimmermann (Austria)
Based in Hudson, New York, Ornamentum Gallery thought it ‘High Time’ for such an exhibition, so it asked a group of the most significant studio artists and designers from within and outside their gallery stable to approach the topic. The results are stunning, innovative, and thought-provoking. Themes of ceremony, titillation, political caricature, humor, and appropriation emerge in the artists’ works, which also reflects their signature styles and technical skills.
Design/ Miami Fair statement: The Miami Design District is forging ahead with an ambitious schedule of responsible winter programming. The agenda will see the buzzy collectible fair, Design Miami, long held concurrently with Art Basel, return to its original home in the neighborhood’s Moore Building, which will also feature live events, activations, and shows by major galleries that usually show with the international art fair.
Up In Smoke: Contemporary Studio Artists from the Jewelry, Silversmithing, and Design World Take on Marijuana will be on view at Design/Miami from November 27 through December 6, 2020 at The Moore Bldg, Design District, Miami.
The exhibit will move back home to Ornamentum, Hudson, New York and be on view from January 1 through January 31, 2021, located at 506 Warren Street, Hudson, NY.
A look-back earlier this year at Ornamentum Gallery.