Dutch design in group exhibition Primal Elements at Carpenters Workshop Gallery

Thu, Sep 24 - Thu, Dec 31  2020

Carpenters Workshop Gallery New York

From September 24, 2020, Carpenters Workshop Gallery in New York presents the group exhibition “Primal Elements,” including work by Atelier van Lieshout, Maarten Baas, Frederik Molenschot, and Studio Drift. The exhibition is by appointment only. Contact information for the gallery can be found here.

Maarten Baas, Carapace small cabinet, bronze, 2016, with Selfreflect by Anton Hendrik Denys, courtesy of Carpenters Workshop Gallery

Gallery statement about “Primal Elements:”

Throughout history, nature has been an integral source of inspiration for artists. From the cave paintings of Lascaux, to the En Plein Air of the Impressionists and the organic sinuosity of Art Nouveau, artists have continually circled back to the primal references and grounding forces that give rise to their creations.

Frederik Molenschot, Cosmos Life 7, 2016, Bronze, LED, courtesy of Carpenters Workshop Gallery

Nature’s influence is still at work today, as is clearly seen in the oeuvres of the artists represented at Carpenters Workshop Gallery. In an industrial setting world, driven by algorithms and capitalism, we seek refuge in the ethereal, we strive for the visceral and the tangible, we retreat to nature to incite our minds, grow our spirits and forge a deeper connection with the world around us.

Studio Drift, Fragile Future, courtesy of Carpenters Workshop Gallery

Primal Elements highlights themes of the Celestial, the Telluric, and the Biomorphic. Earth, wind, fire and water are the primal elements that drive not only the materiality and physicality of each individual work, but also the conceptual narrative behind this exhibition. Now, more than ever, we have realized that we are not above the greater global ecosystem. If we wish to persevere and perpetuate our human existence, we must honor our world and live in tandem with it. This dual group exhibition, simultaneously spanning the East and West Coasts within Carpenters Workshop Gallery’s New York and San Francisco galleries, brings forth an immersive experience that reconnects us with Nature and the fundamental need to coalesce as one.

  —  Ashlee Harrison,
Director, US, Carpenters Workshop Gallery