Diesel tanks, film tapestry and Ivory Coast gold at PAD London
A tapestry spotted in The Devil Wears Prada 2 is hanging in a tent on Berkeley Square, London, this week.
It is one of 67 gallery displays at PAD London, the design and art fair whose 16th edition runs until 18 October after strong sales on its opening day, The Art Newspaper reported on 14 October.
The tapestry is The Slippery Feel of Inevitability by Misha Kahn. It appears in the new film and is now on show at the fair. It hangs among furniture, ceramics, jewellery and sculpture from Europe, the United States, Africa and Asia.
One of the most talked-about stands turns waste into furniture. Consoles, benches and stools by designer Sofie Middernacht are made from steel tanks once fixed outside post-war houses in Belgium to hold diesel for heating. They are shown by Objects With Narratives, a gallery based in Brussels.
Jeweller Glenn Spiro is showing a retrospective group of pieces. The works reuse historic materials, including mammoth bone, sliced rubies, Mughal gems and gold baulé medallions from the Ivory Coast. Spiro counts Beyoncé among his fans and owners.
There is new work in old forms elsewhere. Ghanaian ceramist Kobina Adusah is showing his first work in bronze at the stand of FUMI gallery. It reworks the Abusua Kuruwa, a traditional vessel rooted in African culture. Nearby, Friedman Benda, a gallery based in New York, is showing a round onyx coffee table by US artist Adam Pendleton.
Buyers moved early. Paris gallery Lafanour sold a Chandigarh console by Pierre Jeanneret on opening day. London dealer Charles Burnand was in discussions over a large ceramic wall work by Brooklyn artist Peter Lane.
Dealer Tristan Hoare brought two unglazed white porcelain works by the late Japanese ceramist Taizo Kuroda. Hoare collected them from Kuroda's studio in Izu around 2019 for display in London. The atelier in Japan has been opened as a public attraction since Kuroda's death.
What makes this stand out is the range. Diesel tanks, film props, porcelain and Mughal gems sit rooms apart. For visitors, that means no background in design is needed. Follow what catches your eye.
