Here, we ask designers to take a selfie and give us an inside look at their life.
Age: 37
Occupation: Artist/designer.
Instagram: @conievallese
Hometown: Buenos Aires.
Studio location: New York, Milan, and Portugal.
Describe what you make: I make objects that blend the functional and sculptural. My intention is to bring beauty in a tangible form to experience, celebrating craftsmanship and its historical process and commitment. Pursuing simplicity, elegance, and materials that combine endurance and fragility.
The most important thing you’ve designed to date: What’s important to me is the force within that exists to create these works, to push myself into a better way of living, the motivation, the inspiration, embracing the feelings that arise in the creative process, and the constant pursuit of beauty and simplicity as a form of my existence.
I’m happy with a recent collection, Jardin, designed in collaboration with artist-jeweler-designer Orit Elhanati. We worked on a curated selection of 925 sterling silver cutlery and small objects adorned with black spinels and diamonds. The collection draws on inspiration from the elegance inherent to the Gothic Victorian epoch. This era was celebrated for its opulent craftsmanship and evocative silhouettes, with shadow and grandeur intermingling to unparalleled effect. This period embraced obscurity and opulence like no other, bequeathing a distinct visual language that captivates people to this day. It’s a collection with a lot of dedication and love involved. We also made an exclusive collection in sterling silver with red garnets that’s on view at Jacqueline Sullivan Gallery as part of the show “Angle of Repose” on view through January 27.
Describe the problem your work solves: My work doesn’t solve problems—I create work that evokes beauty and simplicity to bring a sort of pleasure.
Describe the project you are working on now: The production of another furniture piece in bronze.
A new or forthcoming project we should know about: I just finished the design of a bronze chair made at Fonderia Battaglia in Milano as part of a studio residency this past summer. Two versions of the chair were launched as part of “Contributions,” a design festival created by Anna Caradeuc and the creative agency Bildung this past October in Paris. I’m now focusing on different approaches around the same chair and to give space to the feeling of this new work instead of always thinking of what’s next.
What you absolutely must have in your studio: Mate, sunlight, silence or music, papier d’armenie, a calm view, and water.
What you do when you’re not working: I spend a lot of my time in nature and landscapes. Its color palettes make me feel at peace. A long walk, gardening, time in the ocean, cooking outdoors, reading in the sun, a long bath, movies all the time. A glass of wine, a big table with friends I love. I’m embracing contemplation and more connection with myself and how to take care of what’s important and real to me. These simple experiences make me burst in happiness.
Sources of creative envy: Louise Bourgeois, Lucio Fontana, Eva Hesse, Valentine Schlegel, Ruth Duckworth, Lynda Benglis, Isamu Noguchi, Alberto Giacometti. So many!
The distraction you want to eliminate: The void of social media knowing there’s nothing there.
Concrete or marble? Concrete, but I love a sexy pink marble.
High-rise or townhouse? Neither. All I need is a small box with as much landscape as possible.
Remember or forget? Remember, but I do forget a lot.
Aliens or ghosts? Ghosts.
Dark or light? Becoming lighter.
(Portrait photography by Marco Galloway.)
