"Transformation" Links Vintage Advertisement with Interactive Art at Ligne Roset

Ligne Roset’s non-conformist designs have always shared a common thread with contemporary art, and for Art Basel, Design Miami, the French furniture manufacturer is proud to support and promote creativity and original ideas in many forms. The progressive installations will incorporate digital mapping and algorithms, motion detection and video, sculpture and drawings, and experimentation in materials, from concrete to aluminum to textiles and more.

Patrons who visit the exhibit in December will experience the transformative process from past to present, and from one medium and point of view to the next as they journey through different decades and designs in the Ligne Roset showroom. Francisco selected each component to be energetic and immersive, to take away any distance between art and people, who will be encouraged to sit, engage, even photograph the artwork as they exist among it.

Many of the concepts shown are difficult to exhibit on a non-museum scale. Ligne Roset makes a commitment to the progressive arts by extending its showroom for this incubator of originality, finding a happy symbiosis with brilliant minds from around the globe. The exhibition will also feature a grand tunnel of Clouds textiles by Ronan & Erwan Bouroullec, culminating in a display of conceptual, limited-edition renderings of their artwork produced by and on loan from the Wrong Shop.

A private, invitation only opening event (with artists present) will take place on December 4th with music by celebrity DJ Victor Gonzalez and champagne sponsor Moët & Chandon. For this special event Ligne Roset will gift 500 limited edition prints of an original art piece by Lukasz Bilinski incorporating the brand’s vintage advertisements.

Lukasz Bilinski
The Polish painter, born in Tarnow in 1987, studied art at the Academy of Fine Arts in Kraków. His paintings are minimalistic in a way, sometimes coming into play with the vision of a collage, consciously connecting with black and white. Bilinski’s main topic is a male portrait referring to the shades of fashion photography in which he finds inspiration. His guiding idea is to reach deeper into the matter of the portrait, leaving behind flesh and bones to enhance the individual spark.

Sean Mick
This Boston and Miami-based American artist uses algorithms to interpret subjects, situations, and emotions in a reductive, geometric visual language. His view is that the indelible impressions of our experiences shape what we are inside: our contradictions, hopes, addictions, ego, love, self-awareness, doubts —all part of a complex composition that exudes a type of wavelength, vibe, or presence that is projected outward. Mick’s workflow starts in software; his work looks to capture sensory observation, beyond the mere visual, through geometric constructs, interpretive motifs, and color harmonies. Each composition is drawn from the immaterial and intangible by way of what we can't see, but feel, with the intent of being equitable as to who, or what, they are.

Troy Simmons
Born in Texas and currently residing in Miami, FL, Simmons utilizes building materials such as concrete, wood, and aluminum to create works that blur the lines between painting, wall relief and sculptural installation. These raw materials are combined with meticulously hand cut aluminum (flat bars) that create complex geometric shapes, patterns and line work. Simmons’ mix of acrylic paint and industrial grade polymers produce an explosion of colors birthed from mundane construction material. This series of work provokes curiosity, exposing what’s beneath the surface. Simmons’ background in environmental science and architecture was the catalyst for these unrestricted experiments that delve into color, materiality and structure. His work is influenced by nature and the Brutalist Architecture movement of the 1950s.

Bego Santiago
A Galician visual artist based in Berlin, Santiago presents her “LITTLE BOXES.” It is a Kinect-driven video projection mapping art installation where tiny people projected onto wooden boxes are terrified of nearby human presence. An added element is the interaction between the artwork and the viewer. When someone approaches the little boxes, the projected people stare up timidly. As the viewer walks past, the interactive narrative has five different “responses” that the mini projected crowds could have towards the giant spectator. The piece reacts on the fear of any civilization to be destroyed and how to use that fear as an instrument of control. The low-budget science-fiction and horror films is a clear example of how the entertainment industry trivializes and simplifies cultural conflict and play with the paranoia of destruction. LITTLE BOXES is presented as a naive and almost childish game but is a deep satire about the mechanisms of power. A protest song written and composed by Malvina Reynolds in 1962 as a political satire about the development of suburbia and associated conformist middle-class attitudes inspired the name of this installation.

Ronan & Erwan Bouroullec
The Paris-based, world-renowned brothers are industrial designers for numerous international manufacturers, including Ligne Roset for many years. Together they have created such creative furniture icons as Ploum and Facett as well as the modular Clouds wall tapestry which will be a part of the exhibition. Beyond and alongside their product design work, they maintain an experimental activity of sketching and drawing with a collection ranging from the naïve to the abstract. While linked to the design process, their drawings are more of a free association exercise as well as a rare solo venture for the brothers. Their designs are always a collaboration, but their art is something personal which they do alone. However, they don’t reveal which pieces are from what brother, preferring to retain an element of mystery.

About Ligne Roset 

Ligne Roset is synonymous with modern luxury and invites consumers to revel in a contemporary, design-forward lifestyle.
– Ligne Roset Co-President, Michel Roset

Known for its artful collaborations with both established and up-and-coming talents in contemporary design, Ligne Roset offers consumers and design professionals an entire lifestyle in which to live both boldly and beautifully via its furniture collections and complimentary decorative accessories, lighting, rugs, textiles and occasional items. A family-run business with a focus on environmentally conscious design since its inception in 1860, Ligne Roset matches its deeply held belief in design with investment and technical innovation. Ligne Roset has continued to grow from a small business to a multinational company headquartered in Briord, France, with several factories throughout the beautiful Rhône-Alps region, and over 750 retail distributors worldwide. For more information visit www.ligne-roset.com.

About DAM
Based in Miami, The Directed Art Modern is a contemporary art gallery delivering a platform for emerging and established artist in public spaces to create playful exhibitions that encourage the participation and activation of their audience creating connections between art and the public. For more information visit www.thedirectedartmodern.com.