LABINAC

Sprovieri is delighted to present “A STICK IN THE FOREST” – ON POSSIBILITIES OF DESIGN, works by LABINAC for their debut in London.

LABINAC is a design collective founded in 2018 by Maria Thereza Alves, Jimmie Durham and Kai-Morten Vollmer, with the dual purpose of designing and making objects (furniture, chandeliers, and other elements of interior design) and supporting the design works of Indigenous peoples in Latin America, of which the artists have been staunch defenders throughout their lives.

A Stick in the Forest, were Durham’s last thoughts before he passed away. Jimmie encourages us to sit down on the ground of the forest and to be in a state of wonder, so that a dialogue can begin with a stick. Perhaps it becomes a leg for a table or an element in a chandelier, or you get up and a dog crosses your path and with interest eyes your stick, a gift to be given and perhaps a friendship to begin.

The exhibition pays homage to Jimmie’s design and artistic work through presenting some of his objects, his particular irreverence and peculiarity in the use of materials (wood, colours, bones, stones, and other elements) that become on the one hand ironic and critical at the same time, but always beautiful on the other hand.

Handblown glassworks by Maria Thereza Alves reflect on the magic and mystical character of glass, its inherent beauty and the careful dance it takes to give the material its room to find a form.

LABINAC is an open collective for artists and designers. By inviting Elisa Strinna, Jone Kvie and Victor Santamarina among others, whose works will be included in the exhibition, Alves and Durham have enhanced the range of possibilities through their research and their works while also questioning the role of design today, the thin line between the arts, as well as the possibility of experimenting with various materials available.

‘'What a planet we live on.

Trees, rocks, animals, including ourselves and just the water and the air,
make it a place of constant delight.
A place of luxury.

River otters make clearings on the banks of rivers which they use as
slides for slipping into the water for no reason other than enjoyment.
Luxury.’’ (Labinac)