Design Miami / Podium x Shanghai

Nov 4-14, 2021
No. 1 Wai Tan Yuan, No. 33 Zhongshandongyi Road, Shanghai, China

Shanghai­—A driving force within Asia’s contemporary design scene, Pearl Lam Galleries, under its former name Contrasts Gallery (established in the 1990s), was among the first seventeen galleries to exhibit at Design Miami when the fair debuted in 2005. Following a rigorous programme, the gallery advocates a cross-disciplinary approach, fusing art and design while challenging the Western hierarchy of art forms where art triumphs over collectible design and decorative art. The gallery is delighted to present a group exhibition at this year’s Design Miami / Podium x Shanghai, highlighting works by leading international conceptual designers and artists A. A. Murakami (also known as Studio Swine), Ni Zhiqi, and Danful Yang, in addition to works by Enrico Marone Cinzano, whose designs demonstrate form follows function.

Shanghai-based designer Danful Yang emerged onto the international stage in 2007 and is recognized as one of the first conceptual designers from Asia. Her iconic Fake Chair [AC1] is a hybrid chair that is an amalgamation of Chinese and Western Rococo styles upholstered with fake designer handbags. The conceptual work is a cross-cultural bombardment of visual stimuli, turning imitation into originality and reflecting the onslaught of globalized consumer culture. Yang is skillful at reinventing traditional Chinese art and craft techniques while utilizing conceptual design ideology to create playful and visually dynamic pieces. She has worked closely with internationally renowned designers including Martin Szekely, André Dubreuil, and Maarten Baas, as well as skilled craftsmen who have contributed to her design education. Yang’s works have been included in the collections of M+ Museum of Visual Culture, Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, the Frederick R. Weisman Art Foundation, and the private collection of Craig Robins (co-founder of Design Miami).