Category: Gallery

“The Breeder” Gallery

Where once there was an ice cream factory now houses an award winning architectural project, “The Breeder” Gallery. Located in Athens, Greece and originally built in 1970 the building was left empty and abandoned for many years before it was selected by the owners of the gallery to become their new creativity centre. The renovation was undertaken by the famous Greek architect Aris Zambikos and managed to win one of the three awards nominated every four years by the Hellenic Institute of Architecture.

The interior space changed a lot in order to become practical to its new function. On the contrary, the old, steel window frames were kept unchangeable contributing to the industrial character of the building. But what I like the most is the new concrete staircase’s design that helps spread the light that comes through the main skylight.

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Hila Gaon bridal store

This concept store and atelier for fashion designer Hila Gaon was designed by Karina Tollman and Philipp Thomanek of Israeli studio k1p3 in Tel Aviv.

The gallery-like space features 9 dresses from the current collection, hung in prominent display upon store mannequins (which were custom-made by the architects, based on traditional seamstress dolls). The complete collection, for its part, is stored in a translucent and lit closet along the length of one wall, and the main space is completed by a large dressing room and fitting area that are provided for the bride and her entourage.

I appreciate this design for its lack of fuss concerning the dresses. Dress-shopping can often become a stressful activity and it’s a good thing to have a clear and minimalist space to cancel out distractions and to aid in this choice!

Photography by Ardon Barhama.

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Reindeers and Snohetta

Today’s post will be hopefully yet another reminder that minimalism does not always have to consist of black and white. It is actually not the color what defines minimalism. Rather, one might look at strong element, cohesive material, connection, or repetition and see the overall harmony and concept supported by their use. All is hopefully achieved with simplicity and restraint.

Now let’s have a look at The Norwegian Wild Reindeer Center in Dovre. Built by the fantastic Snohetta, I can applaud the architects for finding the balance between the focal point of the design and creative solution to the actual structure. The achievement here is the humble, yet absolutely beautiful and innovative execution of the Center while the most prominence was left to the surroundings, panoramic views and really, the existing “architecture” of nature.

The site itself is 90 square meters, has comfortable seating area, features a fireplace and a glass facade that is supported by steel fins. The Pavilion was constructed by using Norwegian Shipbuilding techniques. The waving effect was achieved by using 10 inch wooden beams that were milled and assembled by making good use of pegs.

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Galeria Leme

Galeria Leme, a contemporary art gallery in the city of São Paulo, is a small yet poetic building by the Pritzker-winning Brazilian architect Paulo Mendes da Rocha.

Built in 2004, it has a bare concrete structure and the generous height of the main gallery room is open to slanted natural light by vertical openings and 45º-tilted walls.

In fact, it’s these simple elements – concrete and light – that inspire pause and quiet appraisal. It appeals to me in a very similar fashion as Tadao Ando’s architecture does.

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The Walther Collection

Collecting is a strange addiction. As collectors, we always find an underlying argument to preserve things we like. Artur Walther wanted to find a way to share his personal art collection with the public.

German born, New York based collector and former investment banker, Artur Walther, converted three of his family homes into a private museum to exhibit The Walther Collection. The Walther Collection’s three exhibition buildings—White Box, Green House, and the Black House opened in June 2010, in Burlafingen, near Ulm, Southern Germany.

The White Box, designed by German architect Braungerr Wörtz, honors the spirit of minimalism. Severely stripped of details, the space is calm and pale. The concrete material was not intended to remain beyond the construction phase. Artur Walther liked the raw concrete of the ceiling and walls so much that it ultimately remained exposed, as a design element. The Black House stands quietly, in the green pasture like a dark chocolate cake. Undeniably charming.

Reaching collector status had once a constructive meaning in my life. Inventory no longer makes my heart flip-flop. That’s a relief. (Thank you, Eili!)

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Gagosian Gallery Expansion

To me, the minimalist aesthetic is the most humanist of all, one that elicits the full power of all our senses, says Richard Meier.

The Gagosian Gallery, in Beverly Hills, designed by Richard Meier in 1995, reflects the New York architect’s pure expression of modernism—a blend of pristine, white walls and glass grids creating intersecting volumes. Using just the right Meierisms, the expansion of the Gagosian Gallery maintains its original distinctive qualities of space and light.

The new space is designed to take advantage of the Los Angeles’ climate with 3,000 hours of yearly sun and to support its flourishing contemporary art scene. The reuse of a curved wood barrel-vault roof is a great contrast to the lightness of Mr. Meier’s architecture and iconic white aesthetic. The stunning Getty Center, in Los Angeles is one of his most celebrated commissions.

Mr. Meier’s ‘white‘ is never just white.

White is about color, he insists. The whiteness is also a way of articulating the architectural ideas in the clearest ways: the difference between openness and closure, between transparency and opaqueness.

Thank goodness for this Meiericity—a fantasy of an optimistic environment where I feel uplifted. Hello, grids… and whiteness.

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