An exhibition of chairs, drawings and customized fireworks by Catalan designer Martí Guixé opened at HELMRINDERKNECHT gallery in Berlin this week.

Above: 27kg of Copper. Top image: Centaurus

The exhibition, called Chairs & Fireworks, includes three chairs and a set of drawings by Guixé, plus a collection of fireworks customised by adding paper objects such as houses and cars to the top of each one.

The first chair, Centaurus (top image), includes foot rests for the designer to stand on and become part of the chair.

Above: Respect Cheap Furniture.

The second chair, Respect Cheap Furniture, is hand-painted with its title and follows on from Guixé's 2004 project called Stop Discrimination of Cheap Furniture.

The last chair, 27kg of Copper, is designed to be a recyclable object, used by the owner in different ways throughout its lifetime.

The exhibition continues until 7 November.

Previous Dezeen stories about Martí Guixé:

Xarxa Sofa for Danese
Cau Sospensione for Danese

Here's some more information from HELMRINDERKNECHT:

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New gallery of contemporary design in Berlin

HELMRINDERKNECHT contemporary design is celebrating its opening with the show “Chairs & Fireworks” by Martí Guixé

HELMRINDERKNECHT contemporary design, the new Berlin design gallery, opened its doors at Linienstrasse 87 in Berlin Mitte to coincide with Berlin’s international art fair, Art Forum Berlin.

The city’s new kid on the block stands for and promotes a programme exclusively dedicated to contemporary design where it interfaces with contemporary art. The opening exhibition “Chairs & Fireworks” will present new objects by the renowned Catalan designer Martí Guixé (*1964). All works will be available in small limited editions. Guixé will also exhibit a small collection of drawings for the first time. For his Berlin exhibition at HELMRINDERKNECHT contemporary design gallery Martí Guixé has designed three new chairs in his ongoing cycle “statement chairs”, and has also submitted surprising solutions regarding the neglected subject of fireworks. Furthermore Guixé exhibits a series of drawings for the first time.

Guixé, who lives and works in both Barcelona and Berlin, has exhibited his objects and installations in international solo- and group exhibitions in venues such as the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), New York, Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris and MUDAC, Lausanne. He is a recipient of the „Design Plus Award“ 2004 and the „National Design Price of the Generalitat de Catalunya“ 2007, is the author of numerous publications and works for international companies such as Alessi, Camper, Danese and Moleskine. Over the last years the international market for contemporary design has grown rapidly as illustrated by the growing number of galleries, auctions and fairs such as “Design Miami” and “Design Miami/Basel”.

This development can also be witnessed in Berlin. Petra Helm and Martin Rinderknecht, the two gallerists, have made it their aim to present and exhibit a top selection of contemporary design where it interfaces with contemporary art. HELMRINDERKNECHT understands art and design as being mutually inspiring creative fields that guide form, function and content in a unique expression, the so-called DesignArt. HELMRINDERKNECHT contemporary design gallery will cooperate with and present renowned, internationally established designers as well as young, upcoming design talents. Prototypes, models, unique pieces, installations and limited editions in small numbers, some of which are exclusively available only at HELMRINDERKNECHT, are exhibited in solo- and group exhibits. The gallery does not only showcase national and international designers, but also acts as a Berlin platform for lectures, readings and discussions. Over and above changing exhibitions, a regular discourse with exponents of the arts, design and neighbouring fields (in cooperation with galleries, institutions and companies) is to discuss and promote the relevance of these disciplines for society.

The work of self-proclaimed “ex-designer” Martí Guixé can be placed firmly in the area where tension is created between free installation-based design and classic product design, and clearly sets the tone for the future path of HELMRINDERKNECHT contemporary design.
Guixé continues his on-going cycle „statement chairs“ with three new positions, all exclusively designed for HELMRINDERKNECHT contemporary design.

Respect Cheap Furniture

The monobloc plastic chair is a phenomenon, which has already attracted and inspired many designers and artists and in fact contains many criteria of good design: it is cheap, democratic, robust, reasonable in technical production and convenient. But the classical monobloc chair has a very bad reputation. Following his work „Stop Discrimination of Cheap Furniture“ from 2004, Guixé moves a step ahead in the defence of the monobloc chairs and postulates „Respect Cheap Furniture“. The „Respect cheap furniture“ chair will be availabe in a limited editon of 50.

„27 kg of Copper“

The second chair is based on the subject of recycling. Copper is a material which can be almost completely and endlessly recycled – without a loss of quality. Each object made of copper can potentially change form, typology and context. Guixé's copper chair is not only a chair, but also represents possibilities of being any other object and therefore ultimately remains just „27 kg of Copper“. The copper chair is available in a limited edition of 8.

Designer chair

„Centaurus“, the third chair can be seen as a real designer chair. As designer chairs are often associated with the reputation and the person of the designer, Guixé´s „Centaurus“ chair brings chair and designer as close together as possible: here the designer becomes an integral physical part of the chair; subject and object become one and build a „designer chair“. The „Centaurus“ chair is available in a limited edition of 10.

In addition to the presentation of drawings the exhibition also includes a host of newly designed fireworks. Guixé has changed the top of the rockets with stylized design objects. With his fireworks he celebrates the domestication of space, flying cars, the consolidation of ex-design and the opening of

HELMRINDERKNECHT contemporary design
Petra Helm and Martin Rinderknecht

Exhibition: 26.09. - 07.11.2009
Opening hours: Tuesday – Saturday, 12 – 6 pm and by appointment
Linienstrasse 87
10119 Berlin