Crossing Collective is announcing the opening of its new Design Lab, in the Chelsea neighborhood of New York City. The concept space will allow visitors to experience state-of-the-art pan-Asian and international design that pays homage to the timeless production methods of the past. The Collective, which has already established representative offices in Shanghai and a studio in Beijing, is expanding to the United States, where it will facilitate collaborations between its new Design Lab and a select group of award-winning artists and designers. These partnerships will strive to create compelling and accessible art pieces, design objects, and lifestyle products that examine innovative approaches, while remaining grounded in rich Asian heritage and traditional techniques. An online gallery will also be launched, connecting global enthusiasts to a curated site that will serve as a market for an even wider range of unique pan-Asian and international artists and designers.
Though it will present a broad selection of work, the central objective of the Design Lab will be to create an environment that is culturally “open source.” By forging relationships between its artists, designers, and a variety of craftspeople currently manufacturing through traditional methods, the Lab aims to incubate diverse work that respects tradition, while appealing to contemporary aesthetics. Furthermore, an abundance of additional resources procured by the Lab regarding the extensive heritage of Asian production techniques will be made available to its designers without limitation.
Helming Crossing Collective are former Crossing Art gallery owner and developer, Catherine Lee, who has over a decade of experience working with and collecting contemporary Asian art, and Elise Saab, who has held prominent positions at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, The Victoria and Albert Museum, and Harvard University. Both are passionate about the project and reflect on it as a distinctive opportunity. “This is really about cultivating a conversation at the cross section of art and design. We’ve been curating a solid collection of beautiful pieces that will evolve into the future, and we are looking forward to artists and collectors around the world engaging, and wanting to see more,” says Saab. Lee envisions taking the concept of the conventional gallery in a new direction, noting that “lives are extraordinarily enriched when everything that is created or experienced is done so with a better understanding of, and appreciation for, the full extent of the production process, and the crossover of dialogues that has occurred.”
Lee and Saab will host the opening exhibition, Objection: Flight or Fight at their Design Lab in Chelsea Thursday, October 19th, at 6pm to give guests a better comprehension of the possibilities this new concept gallery has in store. Participating artists include Korean artist Byung Hoon Choi, Chinese artist Qin Feng, Japanese Artist Nendo and local artist Bee Brittain, Chris Wolston, Christopher Schanck, Ettore Sottsass, Julian Watts, Pryce Lee, George Nakashima, Huy Bui. This exhibition will be on view from October 19th to November 30th.
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