- Art & Design
In Paris, you can visit Crossing Over until 23 December, which is an exhibition in Carpenter's Workshop Gallery. The topic of the exhibition are twenty works by the Italian artist Vincenzo De Cotiis. At Imagicasa, we are very impressed by this exhibition, which immediately convinces everyone of his talent for design.
Vincenzo De Cotiis was born in Gonzaga in 1958 and has since spread his work all over the world. His design style often arises from wanting to converge the archaic and the futuristic, and takes shape through recycled materials. For the most part, his creativity stems from exploring urban environment imagery. Cultural dimensions regularly creep into his designs, and parallels of space and time also prevail in his creative universe. Therefore, De Cotiis is an excellent choice for the Carpenters Workshop Gallery, founded in 2006 by Julien Lombrail and Loic Le Gaillard. The team is always on the lookout for both emerging and already well-known artists and designers. Their hearts leap at the sight of functional sculptures that step outside the traditional field of expression. Moreover, Carpenters Workshop is all about sensing the emotional, artistic or historical relevance of the work. Organising an exhibition on the sculptures of De Cotiis was undoubtedly the right choice because they show in a stunning way how art and design are not always purely separate. 
The focus of the exhibition is to consider the reuse of materials as a primary creative process.
The exhibition includes twenty pieces that together, in a unique language, tell the story of a motley collection of places and cultures. These include places that De Cotiis has visited himself as well as pure concoctions that are the result of his own imagination. Another important inspiration for the collection was Marc Augé's ‘To be inside and outside, near and far’, which for De Cotiis refers to the idea that time cannot be captured in its pure form. As for the general tone of the works, it is obvious that it is dark, monochrome and raw. This style is a striking change from his previous collections but Crossing Over similarly finds expression in the use of rich surfaces. The central focus of the exhibition is to consider the reuse of materials as a primary creative process. Those materials here include glass, stone and metal. 
If you visit Crossing Over, you can expect to see a wide range of impressive objects. De Cotiis has made tables that rest on poles, sculpted chairs and wall paintings that refer to the city's contradictory character. The works are all avant-garde, straightforwardly functional and brutalist in nature. Also unifying the design are the reflections on linguistics, perception and materiality. Some of the tables are extremely low, creating a neo-primitive effect, and the armchairs that come close to the ground look like massive thrones. Such designs suggest a reinterpretation of human history, while always maintaining an urban and modern feel. This combination results in a recognisable aesthetic that praises both De Cotiis' style and craftsmanship. The collection also includes a monumental cabinet with a front made of black fibreglass. A nice effect of the methodology in use is, for example, the illusion of dirt and roughness created by the reuse of material. 
With Crossing Over, Vincenzo De Cotiis and Carpenter's Workshop Gally have joined forces to create a phenomenal exhibition. Together they immerse visitors in an urban wonderland where design and art effortlessly complement and reinforce each other. In twenty objects, the designer gives expression to a dark and monochrome dream in which the creative process and reflection are at the forefront. With De Cotiis you momentarily float between past and present, dream and world, roughness and subtlety.
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Images courtesy of Carpenters Workshop Gallery