Dezeen promotion: design company Luminaire is organising a retrospective of work by Shiro Kuramata, one of the 20th century's most important Japanese designers, at one of its space in Miami Design District.
Luminaire has teamed up with Italian design brand Cappellini – one of the first in the west to produce Kuramata's work – to put on the Homage to Kuramata exhibition, opening to coincide with the Art Basel and Design Miami events early next month.
The show will feature some of the designer's best-known furniture and homeware produced by Cappellini.
"By synthesising the familiar with the avant-garde, Kuramata created a dynamic and wide-ranging oeuvre that is still celebrated today," said a statement from Luminaire. "His work was distinctly modern in the materials he used, and particularly Japanese in its elegance and simplicity."
Born in Japan in 1934, Kuramata gained famed for his use of transparent materials, like acrylic and expanded metal mesh, and pops of colour – as seen in his iconic Miss Blanche chair.
Many of his designs featured geometric shapes that disguised their function, similar to the playful aesthetic of the Memphis group in 1980s Milan.
Kuramata's work was spotted by Giulio Cappellini, who eventually met the designer and began manufacturing his products in 1987.
After the designer's death in 1991, Cappellini continued to produce his furniture under license and still sells it today.
"The unique characteristics of Kuramata's designs verify their character as both art and design where visual poetry reigns over functionality," said Luminaire.
For the Miami exhibition, a selection of Kuramata's products – curated by Luminaire – will be displayed as part of a street-front installation designed to highlight the themes, colours and materials of his work.
The exhibition will be held in the Luminaire Lab showroom at 3901 NE 2nd Avenue, with an opening reception taking place Thursday 7 December 2017, 6-9pm. It will remain on show until mid-January 2018.
Also during Miami art week, Luminaire will introduce a book celebrating 90 years of Italian design brand Cassina, with a panel discussion at its Lab² space in the Design District on 6 December 2017.
The book's editor and Pin-Up Magazine founder, Felix Burrichter, will discuss the themes of the publication This Will Be The Place with Cassina's recently appointed art director Patricia Urquiola, and industrial designer Konstantin Grcic. They will also be available to sign copies of the book, which will be on sale at the event.
For more information about Luminaire's activities in Miami this year, visit the company's website, and use the following links to register to attend either the Homage to Kuramata or This Will Be The Place events.