Next Gen The New Guard: Stories from the New World

Working closely with Anava Projects, Carpenters Workshop Gallery has commissioned the seven artist-designers to create all new works for the exhibition and mentored them throughout the production process. Driven by personal narrative, the works in the show tell a powerful story about the “New World,” a reference both to the historical identity of the region as well as to how this new generation brings fresh, vital voices to the conversation around collectible design.

The featured artist-designers embrace conceptually driven, hand-wrought, sculptural forms, executed through a diverse range of experimental materials and techniques. From Susannah Weaver’s innovative, romantic collection of concrete-wool objects in modernist silhouettes; to Jerome Byron’s patinated steel pieces, each a study in minimalism, proportion, and economy of means; to Tiarra Bell’s hand-crafted ceiling pendant, wall sconces, and mirrors, composed in ebonized oak and gold leaf and created as expressions of her faith; to Maryam Turkey’s paper pulp lighting and mirrors, evocative of an imaginary hybrid cityscape, full of light and shadow, inspired by her experiences both as a child in Baghdad and as a young adult in New York; to Martinique-based Ibiyanε, the studio of Elodie Dérond and Tania Doumbe Fines, who honor their Caribbean and Cameroonian heritage in a hand-carved wooden series inspired by an original poem about personal and collective memories.

The show also features textiles and ceramics: Indian-born, New York-based textile artist Anubha Sood’s practice centers around bio-material investigations and the sustainable ecology of making. Her seaweed-based works reflect both her personal journey and our fraught relationship with the natural world. Meanwhile, Colorado-based ceramicist Isabella Maroon’s new collection consists of clay curios imbued with remnants of the artist’s past works; the present and the past joined in an expression of our ever-evolving identities.

“We’re honored to work with such an incredible group of young artists for this exhibition,” says Ashlee Harrison, Director of the Americas for Carpenters Workshop Gallery. “It’s been exciting to support and learn from some of the most innovative emerging voices in design today and to see the parallels between the artists in our current program. We have identified seven incredible talents, whose work speaks strongly to their personal narrative, and explores use of experimental techniques, materials, and processes in a very poetic and sculptural manner. It’s our mission to perpetuate, mentor, and support this talent and pave the way for the future. We can’t wait to see the contributions that they’ll bring to the field of art and design.”

“We’re thrilled to partner with Carpenters—one of the world’s most respected and boundary breaking galleries—on this exhibition,” say Wava Carpenter and Anna Carnick, Founders of Anava Projects. “For so long, the design canon has been framed almost exclusively through a Euro-centric lens. The emerging talents presented here offer a fresh perspective on design coming out of this place in this pivotal moment—their narrative-driven works reflect an important moment not just in design, but for the world at large.”