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      GSL Gallery takes over disused Parisian factory with “punk” interiors

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      Weathered walls and concrete floors feature in this design gallery that creative collective The Guild of Saint Luke and architecture firm Studio ECOA have set up inside a former factory in Paris.

      Spread across one storey and two mezzanines, GSL Gallery provides a mixture of studio and exhibition space for the group of architects, artists and artisans that make up The Guild of Saint Luke.
      GSL Gallery sits inside an old factoryThe gallery occupies a disused factory in Pantin, a neighbourhood in northeastern Paris with a growing arts and culture scene.
      In recent years, the building operated as a classic car garage but was purchased by art dealer and gallerist Hadrien de Montferrand during the pandemic with the aim of transforming the site into a gallery.
      The building’s concrete floors were retainedDe Montferrand enlisted locally based Studio ECOA to carry out all the necessary architectural changes and asked The Guild of Saint Luke (GSL) to steer the building’s design and become its first tenant.

      “We were charmed by the space and found the patina and raw walls to be punk and accidentally on-point,” GSL’s creative director John Whelan told Dezeen.
      Clean white panelling was added to give the space the look of a typical gallery”Working in close collaboration with Studio ECOA, we proposed a project that retained all of the rawness of the spaces with very minimal design interventions,” he continued.
      “We felt that it would be criminal to interfere with the existing mood, which is melancholic and eerily beautiful.”
      Studio ECOA restored the building’s facade and aluminium roof, as well as preserving its original concrete flooring.
      A live-work space can be found on GSL Gallery’s first mezzanineBoxy storage units were built on either side of the front door to form a corridor-like entrance to the ground floor, where white panelling was added across the lower half of the patchy, time-worn walls to emulate the look of a typical gallery.
      This ground-floor space will be used to display a changing roster of avant-garde installations, which GSL hopes to finance by using the gallery’s workspaces to produce more commercial projects for design brands.

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      “Commercial endeavours will help to fund more proactive ‘passion projects’, where we will exhibit GSL’s own designs along with designers and artists that we admire,” Whelan said.
      “Our chief motivation is creative freedom, as we hope to produce installations that do not necessarily adhere to a commercial brief.”
      Bathroom facilities are contained in a mirrored volumeThe building’s two existing mezzanines were cut back to create a central atrium, which draws natural light into the gallery’s interior.
      The lower mezzanine now houses a hybrid live-work space where GSL members or visiting artists can stay the night.
      This space is centred by a large Donald Judd-style wooden table and also accommodates a bed, kitchenette and a bathroom concealed within a mirrored volume.
      Metal sanitary ware reflects the light in the bathroomExtra exhibition space is provided on the secondary mezzanine that sits beneath the building’s roof, directly under a series of expansive skylights.
      Prior to now, GSL has largely specialised in hospitality interiors – restoring historic brasseries across Paris and devising opulent restaurants such as Nolinski near the Musée du Louvre and Maison Francois in London.
      The lower mezzanine also houses a bed and a large table”We hope that the gallery will be an extension of the aesthetic that we are trying to develop, embracing new ideas but never abandoning the pursuit of beauty,” Whelan explained.
      “It feels like a good time to do so, as Covid has cleared and a mood of optimism in design has emerged. This bracing, minimal space feels almost like a clean slate and invites a multitude of possibilities.”
      The second mezzanine sits directly underneath the building’s skylightsOther recent additions to Paris’s cultural landscape include a major extension of the Musée Albert Kahn by Kengo Kuma and Associates, which made room for a historic collection of 72,000 photographs.
      Elsewhere in the French capital, Bruno Gaudin Architectes just completed a 15-year renovation of the National Library of France, incorporating a number of new circulation routes and public spaces.
      The photography is by Oskar Proctor. 

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      Maison Lune gallery in California showcases art and design in residential setting

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      This art and design gallery in Venice, California occupies a former private house where interiors by designer Gabriella Kuti provide a warm, neutral backdrop for the works on show.

      Maison Lune was co-founded by French artist and designer Sandrine Abessera and Ukrainian fashion designer Lubov Azria, who set about creating a “dream home, where beauty rules”.
      Maison Lune is presented as a collector’s house, where all the art and design pieces are for sale”We want to build an alternative to traditional galleries, which are often perceived as too elitist and intimidating,” said Abessera and Azria.
      The duo worked closely with interior designer Gabriella Kuti to turn what was a private house in a protected historical building into a space to showcase a rotating series of exhibitions.
      The house has various terraces and balconies used to display works outdoorsThe gallery is organised like a collector’s home, with artworks and design pieces spread across multiple rooms that total 4,000 square feet (371 square metres).

      Their intention was to allow visitors to journey through the different rooms and floors, which are designed to exude a warm atmosphere.
      The interiors were designed to provide a warm and neutral backdropThe team didn’t need to alter too much of the existing interiors but added storage and lighting to help better display the works.
      “The space was already an amazing canvas for this purpose: high ceilings, lots of lights and skylight, white limestone floors,” the co-founders told Dezeen. “We created more shelving with LA artisans and added more lights.”
      The gallery’s debut exhibition is titled Transcendence and is curated by Gaia Jacquet MatisseArchitectural features like circular windows, spiral staircases and marble bathrooms all bring character to the gallery.
      The house also has a terrace with a small swimming pool and balconies for displaying pieces outdoors.
      The team added shelving created by LA-based artisans for displaying smaller objectsEverything displayed through the various styled vignettes, from artworks to collectible design pieces, is for sale.
      The aim is to spotlight a wide range of both established and emerging artists and designers, who work across mediums and techniques including painting, sculpture, photography, furnishings, ceramics, lighting, textiles and objects.

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      “The pieces showcased represent the varied and changing cultural landscape of identities, values and beliefs,” the pair said.
      Inaugurating the gallery is a group exhibition titled Transcendence, curated by Gaia Jacquet Matisse and including work by her mother, Sophie Matisse, along with artists Bobbie Olivier, Jeannie Weissglass, Edson Fernandes, James Fischetti, Angela Damman and Santiago Martinez Peral.
      Existing architectural features like a circular bathroom window add character to the galleryTogether, the show aims to “examine the concept of duality within our existence as humans inhabiting the earth, alongside nature” according to the team.
      This debut exhibition will continue until the Frieze Los Angeles 2023 art fair, which takes place 16-19 February, then the gallery is scheduled to host four showcases per year.
      Maison Lune is located in a historic part of Venice, California, next to one of the city’s canalsPresenting art and collectible design in a residential setting has become a popular way for gallerists and fairs to contextualise the objects, and make them more appealing to potential buyers.
      Galleries like The Future Perfect, which operates showrooms in LA and New York under the moniker Casa Perfect, and the Nomad Circle series of travelling design fairs are among those that have found success through this format.

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      BC designs Francis Gallery LA to celebrate Korean art and culture

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      Gallerist Rosa Park has opened a space in Los Angeles to showcase the work of Korean artists and designers, with interiors by local studio BC intended to reflect the country’s visual culture.

      Francis Gallery LA is Park’s second location and is an expansion of her original gallery in Bath, UK – both presenting the work of emerging Korean artists.
      Places of worship informed the interiors of the gallery on Melrose AvenueSituated on Melrose Avenue in West Hollywood, the new space was designed with Lindsey Chan and Jerome Byron, founders of LA-based BC.
      The duo preserved the building while transforming the inside with references to traditional Korean architecture and art.
      The inaugural exhibition displays the work of six artists, including photography by Koo BohnchangThese include a curved partition wall influenced by a moon jar and a contemporary re-interpretation of a hanok courtyard.

      “The space was conceived to pay homage to Korean art and design in subtle ways – whether it was in the curve of a partition wall, the colour palette of the interior paints, or the profile of a low bench in the courtyard,” said Park.
      BC designed the gallery to be pared-back yet warmPlaces of worship like chapels and monasteries were also referenced in the design. These were accentuated by the use of “humble materials” and pared-back forms.
      Although minimal, the intention was to ensure the gallery still felt warm and inviting, as well as provide an appropriate setting for the pieces on show.
      Rahee Yoon’s translucent acrylic blocks are among the works on show”I think this emotional connection to a space, to a work, is central to what I’m doing with Francis,” Park said.
      “It was of great importance to me that the space acted as the ideal framework to house works that I hope will move people.”

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      The inaugural exhibition at Francis Gallery LA is titled Morning Calm, on view until 7 January 2023, and features the work of six artists of Korean descent.
      Bo Kim, John Zabawa, Koo Bohn Chang, Nancy Kwon, Rahee Yoon and Song Jaeho are all at different stages in their careers.
      An abstract painting by John Zabawa hangs on a dark wallTheir painting, photography, sculpture and ceramics all explore Korean identity in an international context and offer insights into the artists’ cultural heritage.
      “With Los Angeles being home to the largest Korean community in the United States and Park having roots in both Seoul and LA, the debut show seeks to explore the nuanced connections between the two places,” said a statement from the gallery.
      References to Korean architecture at the gallery include a contemporary interpretation of a traditional hanok courtyardLA’s art scene has grown exponentially over the past decade, and the city is now home to many new galleries and exhibition spaces.
      Well-known names that have opened their own locations there include Hauser & Wirth and The Future Perfect, while others like Marta are using modernist buildings like Neutra’s VDL II House to exhibit.
      The photography is by Rich Stapleton.

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      Air Architects lines Hangzhou's Random Art Space in light-hued oakwood

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      Pale oak surfaces contrast with dark timber beams inside Random Art Space, a gallery and cafe that Air Architects created in Hangzhou, China. Random Art Space is tucked down a lane of Ming and Qing-dynasty buildings in Hangzhou’s Shangcheng District. The 150-square-metre unit was previously occupied by a furniture retailer, but Miami-based practice Air Architects […] More