inTheMOMENT

Art Bazaar

Visitors to UNDERLINE Gallery’s most recent show found themselves transported from New York to a Moroccan bazaar filled with artisanal objects and wares along with works by emerging artists. Inspired by the traditional marketplace or souk, the exhibition SOUK: And You Shall Find explored the relationship between texture, form and color in media ranging from vintage textiles to ceramics to contemporary painting.

Now, UNDERLINE Gallery is joining with V&M to present a virtual version of the SOUK exhibition, with artwork, ceramics, jewelry and other objects from around the world: Japan, Morocco, Paris, the U.S. and more. “They all have a craft element,” says Casey Burry, UNDERLINE Gallery’s director.

Among the items are hand-woven textiles, ceramic objects and other pieces from the collection of Ismail Mouahid, an artist whose family has been in the Moroccan textile trade for centuries. “The textiles are ridiculously beautiful,” Casey comments. “You won’t see wall hangings and tapestries like these anywhere else.”

SOUK also features ceramics created by Ikuko Iwamoto, an award-winning Japanese designer currently living in London. Other standouts include jewelry by New York designers Abby Goodman and Robin Mollicone, a wooden dominos game made by Fredericks & Mae, and gorgeous hand-cast porcelain bowls by Parisian artist Aurore Thibout.

“There’s a range of artists from around the world who are influenced by classic techniques and ideas, but approach their craft in a very contemporary and passionate way,” says Casey.

Ismail’s collection also offers a number of vintage Moroccan wedding blankets, or handira. Customarily worn during Moroccan marriage ceremonies, these precious pieces symbolically bestow warmth, protection, fertility and good luck upon the newlyweds. These hand-woven blankets, of wool and sequins, date back 10 to 40 years. They may be draped over beds, sofas or chairs, or used as wall hangings.
The gallery’s director is a great admirer of Robin Mollicone’s work. “Robin’s jewelry is quite collectible.” The New York-based artist fashions unique necklaces, rings and other pieces of jewelry, using as materials antique glass beads, sterling, turquoise and leather.
Artist Ismail Mouahid works with a group of women in Morocco to promote traditional arts and crafts with a contemporary twist. One of the loveliest textiles is Zandek #1, made of wool, vintage fabric and cotton. “It looks like a painting,” Casey says. “Perfect as a piece of art on the wall.”
Japanese artist Ikuko Iwamoto creates functional art objects and tactile tableware like these handsome white porcelain cups that are works of art. “The style and the aesthetic are Japanese, but they are presented in a very modern way,” Casey explains.

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