Exploding sideboards, ruptured shelves and a staircase that bursts through the heart of a three-storey building. French artist Vincent Dubourg's works have a dark and violent beauty, which makes a walk around his second solo show at Carpenters Workshop Gallery full of strange thrills.
'You will either love or hate Vincent's work but it will certainly provoke a reaction,' says Loïc Le Gaillard, co-founder of the London gallery, which has represented the artist since its inception in 2004. Unlike with some design art, Dubourg's work isn't just about form. The eight limited edition pieces on show at 'Inside' are designed to be used and experienced, their deconstructed structures placing the focus, unusually, on the interior of each object.
Asked what prompted all this violence, Dubourg says: 'I like the idea of creating something beautiful out of something broken.' In his work, these seemingly destroyed objects are also instilled with a life of their own, for example, the apparently dilapidated but actually fully functioning staircase - a private commission represented by a maquette at Carpenters Workshop Gallery - appears to emerge through the floor of a house in Knightsbridge and thrust its way through the roof.
The collector who commissioned this staggering new work, which looks a little like a staircase to a tree house, was first drawn to Dubourg by his 'Napoléon à Trotinette' console table, shown at the V&A's Telling Tales exhibition in 2009, and had her entire house remodelled around it. Le Gaillard admits it was a leap of faith for the owner: 'I have to commend her vision,' he says. But, as with all Dubourg's works, the staircase has been realised with extraordinary detail.
Look closely and you'll spot the banisters disappearing into the walls, and on the ground floor, the supporting branches of wood (actually aluminium) appear to rip up panels of the parquet flooring as they sprout from the ground. Even the maquette, encased behind glass in the Mayfair gallery, is meticulously detailed, crafted in aluminium by hand in Dubourg's studio in the Creuse region of France. Likewise the aluminium panels of the 'Double Buffet Nouvelle Zélande' cabinets in the exhibition perfectly mimic the texture of charred wood. It leaves us wandering just what he will 'destroy' next?
In the foreground: ’Console Rupture’ by Vincent Dubourg, 2010
Dubourg’s works strike a balance between the practical and the beautiful
’Doors I’ by Vincent Dubourg, 2010
Detail of ’Nouvelle Zélande’ shelf by Vincent Dubourg, 2010
’Double Buffet Nouvelle Zélande’ in aluminium, by Vincent Dubourg, 2010
Detail view of ’Double Buffet Nouvelle Zélande’, whose aluminium planks perfectly mimic charred planks of wood
’Doors II’ by Vincent Dubourg, 2010
Detail view of ’Doors II’ by Vincent Dubourg, 2010
Detail view of ’Doors II’ by Vincent Dubourg, 2010
Drawing of the ’3 Storey Staircase’ private commission by Vincent Dubourg
The maquette of the staircase by Vincent Dubourg, 2009, on show in the gallery
The recently completed 3 storey staircase commission in a private home in Knightsbridge
’I designed it like I was constructing a staircase to a treehouse, then made it structurally sound,’ says Dubourg
The owner remodelled her house to accommodate the staircase, created out of steel, aluminium and glass
View from above
As with all Dubourg’s works, the staircase has been realised with extraordinary attention to detail
Look closely and you will see the banisters disappear into the wall...
... and on the ground floor, the branches of wood (actually aluminium) appear to rip up the parquet flooring
The staircase sprouts from the ground floor and stretches all the way up to a hole in the roof
Detail view of the ’branches’
Detail view of the steps and banisters
View of the staircase from below
Detail view of the banisters
ADDRESS
Carpenters Workshop Gallery
3 Albemarle Street
London W1S 4HE
-
Milan Fashion Week Men’s A/W 2025 highlights: Dolce & Gabbana to Emporio ArmaniDespite a reduced schedule, Milan Fashion Week Men’s arrives this weekend with plenty of intrigue, beginning with high-wattage shows from Dolce & Gabbana and Emporio Armani. Wallpaper* fashion features editor Jack Moss reports from Milan
-
Rio Kobayashi’s new furniture bridges eras, shown alongside Fritz Rauh’s midcentury paintings at Blunk SpaceFurniture designer Rio Kobayashi unveils a new series, informed by the paintings of midcentury artist Fritz Rauh, at California’s Blunk Space
-
New York restaurant Locanda Verde’s second outpost will transport you to a different time and placeLocanda Verde’s expansive new Hudson Yards osteria exudes a sophisticated yet intimate atmosphere overflowing with art treasures
