New York architects SO-IL have designed these coloured acrylic display cases in geometric shapes to showcase pieces by German porcelain brand Meissen in an exhibition at Kunsthal KAdE in Amersfoort, the Netherlands.
The 32 boxes sit on MDF plinths and enclose figurine's from Meissen's archive, including designs from the eighteenth century.
An exhibition of SO-IL's work, entitled To Be Determined, is also on show at the galley.
The show continues until 28 August 2011.
Photographs are by Iwan Baan.
The information below is from SO-IL:
MEISSEN X SO-IL
In the Netherlands, Meissen porcelain is often regarded as ‘high-class kitsch’.
Its sumptuous, often narrative style of decoration puts it at odds with the minimalistic and conceptual traditions of Modernism.
In this exhibition, KAdE seeks to challenge this prejudice and focus attention on the great sculptural, artistic and technical strengths of Meissen.
KAdE commissioned the Solid Objectives – Idenburg Liu (SO – IL) architectural office to design an ideal contemporary three-dimensional setting in which to present the porcelain.
In response, SO – IL has designed 32 modern, geometrically shaped showcases in bright colours and with ‘pointed tops’.
The porcelain in the exhibition will be drawn from a number of sources, including the Von Klemperer collection, the Meissen factory collection and various private collections in England and Germany.
The exhibition will be accompanied by a book discussing both the porcelain and the architectural philosophy of SO – IL.
The exhibition will also include pieces from the Meissen factory collection which were produced in the 19th or 20th century but based on 18th-century models. Among these are various Commedia dell’arte figures (Brighella, Gondoliere, Arlecchino, Beltramo and Avvocato).
‘To Be Determined’ (above and below), a presentation of recent work by SO – IL, will take place in KAdE’s second floor exhibition space. In autumn 2010, it was on show in Studio X in Beijing.
