Mexican designers show their metal at Gallery Collectional, Dubai

Showing now at Gallery Collectional, Dubai’s first space dedicated to collectible design, is 'Unearthing', a group exhibition presenting newly commissioned metal works by designers from Mexico City: Manu Bañó, Héctor Esrawe and their collective design practice Ewe Studio, founded with gallerist Age Salajõe.

The exhibition, which runs until 15 December 2024, marks the designers’ first international collective show. The works, made in copper, bronze, brass and glass, glisten in the light of the gallery’s floor-to-ceiling windows, while their forms cast atmospheric shadows and nod to Mexico’s rich history of traditional metalwork that dates from the Mesoamerican period to the present.

'Unearthing' at Dubai Gallery Collectional

Bañó, born in Spain and based in Mexico City, explores traditional copper-working techniques in collaboration with artisans from the town of Michoacán and Santa Clara del Cobre, Mexico. Showcased in the exhibition are three of his new works that use copper as their base – an oval sculptural mirror, ‘OBJ-08’; a hanging lamp, ‘OBJ-09’; and a cabinet, ‘OBJ-10’ – together with a coffee table, ‘OBJ-06’, displayed with a new finish.

Each work begins with the manipulation of copper sheets through bending, hammering and cutting to create design objects that exude a simplicity of expression combined with a unique earthy sense of tactility. The pieces are polished to varying degrees to showcase copper's properties. On each are traces of burn marks that are left intentionally to heighten the works’ connection with nature, in this case the transformative element of fire.

'The world of artisans is still alive and growing in Mexico,' says Bañó. 'To create these works we looked for the best artisans around the country. We travelled to various states, from Oaxaca to Guadalajara and Puebla to find them. Our collaboration with them led to the establishment of Ewe.'

In creating works for Ewe, Bañó explains how the collective ‘digs into Mexico’s past to derive inspiration from the history of the country, vernacular objects, techniques, and materials. We are constantly looking for new ideas, stories and rituals to create our collections.’

Pieces by Ewe on display include the ‘Nebula’ lighting sculpture in amber glass, featuring molten glass blown within a metal shape, endowing it with a unique anamorphous form; and ‘Estela’, a sculptural lamp inspired by Mexican or Mayan stelae – stone monoliths that reference ancient history. When lit, the lamp emanates a soft light that reveals the raw surface of its bronze. The piece was initially hand-carved in stone and then cast in metal and, once again, the marks of the tools used to carve it have been intentionally left.

Lastly, Ewe has designed a desk and a cabinet that pay tribute to the sacred ritual spaces of Mexico, and which are crafted from patinated brass. Their elegant curves and smooth sheen heighten the metal's sense of glamour and intrigue.

Esrawe, whose work is heavily based in traditional Mexican craftsmanship, is presenting new pieces, including a desk in cast bronze as a variation of the ‘Gear’ collection, alongside a new edition of the ‘Gear’ side tables in cast bronze and cast aluminium. He's also showing two chairs, an evolution of the ‘Frecuencia’ collection in stainless steel, and ‘Shifting Parábola IV’, a large-scale radiant sculpture in natural brass.

The works, while functional, are akin to artworks – one-of-a-kind pieces that marry Mexican history, craft with explorations in contemporary forms and creation.

'Unearthing’ exemplifies the artistic mission of Gallery Collectional, which opened in 2021 in the Eden House complex near Downtown Design, designed by Emirati architect Khalid Najjar. The design gallery, launched by Dubai-based luxury hospitality company H&H, established in 2007 by Shahab Lutfi and Mohamed Al Hussaini, whose headquarters are located above the space, aims to bring high-end design to local and international customers in Dubai. It specialises in works that blur the boundaries between art and design at a time of demographic change in the Gulf city, as new residents are staying for longer, more indefinite periods of time.

'We want the Collectional to offer a limited-edition experience through specially commissioned design pieces,' explains Cristiano Baccianti, the gallery's CEO. 'You cannot furnish an entire house with limited-edition design pieces, but you can offer an evolution in your design, and this is what we’re offering this region.'

'Unearthing' is on display until 15 December at thecollectional.com