MACHAS

Machas x Iris Ceramica Group

Machas consulted the Iris Ceramica Group by curating a series of multi-site exhibitions during the Cersaie Trade Show 2023 in Italy.

Aligning with the Group’s forward-thinking strategy for re-engineering ceramics and promoting improved human-environment interaction, Machas was entrusted with developing the connection between these principles and contemporary art while seamlessly integrating a production-oriented approach.
This multi-layered effort, which bridged the conceptual essence of the project with the practical intricacies of the exhibition spaces, culminated in the presentation of three artists whose diverse practices delve into various mediums and harness technological tools to construct unconventional perspectives and challenge the viewer’s perception of the world around them.

New media artist Sabrina Rattè, collage artist James Dawe and spatial artist Kaz Shirane each presented an individual take on the relation between technology and the surrounding environment and how the act of seeing is instrumental in forming a new perspective. The shows, collectively named “The Art of Being a Group”, were curated and produced by Machas.

Iris Ceramica x James Dawe

The inaugural exhibition was held at the Iris Ceramica showroom and presented the art of James Dawe, a London-based visual artist renowned for his eclectic, postmodernist collage style.

The exhibition, aptly called ‘Innovative Vision’, showcased the mixed-media works within the showroom’s expansive windows, creating a dialogue between the inside and outside of the building. Dawe’s artworks, characterised by their intricate layers and dynamic interplays of photography, 2D, and 3D elements, introduced a novel perspective on beauty in a state of perpetual evolution and contributed to defining a new aesthetics for the contemporary age.

Fiandre x KAZ SHIRANE

Fiandre and Procelaingres, driven by their architecture-focused approach, showcased the work of spatial artist Kaz Shirane.

Shirane presented his iconic “PRISM WALL,” a captivating 6-metre-wide semi-circular three-dimensional reflective structure. The installation beckons visitors into a kaleidoscopic realm, unveiling unexpected perspectives. The showroom also displayed the “MIRROR OF TRUTH” series, a series of striking steel artworks where mirrors disintegrate and fragment the reflected image, conjuring a captivating blend of distortion and familiarity.

Shirane’s oeuvre fosters a symbiotic connection between the art and its audience, where every motion, gesture, and viewpoint change influences how viewers perceive the works, enabling them to tailor a unique and non-reproducible experience.

Ariostea x Sabrina Ratté

New media artist Sabrina Ratté showcased two captivating video art installations in Fiandre’s showroom.

Ratté, whose work was exhibited at the Whitney Museum of Art in New York, the Laforet Museum in Japan and the Museum of the Moving Image in New York, possesses a remarkable talent for seamlessly blending analogue technologies, photography, and 3D animation. Rattè‘s distinctive approach allowed her to create pieces that straddle the line between abstraction and figurative, landscape and architecture.

“Undream” transports visitors to an ethereal realm that blurs the boundaries between the constructed environment and the natural landscape, erasing the line between reality and unreality. The second video installation, “Domestic Landscape”, skillfully explores the oscillation between interior and exterior spaces, inducing a hypnotic sensation and encouraging the eye to meander through an ever-evolving architectural landscape.