Golem Speaks for Itself: An exhibition of design by Ariel Claudet
Pop-up exhibition: 23 - 27 May 2022
Closing party: 26 May, 5 - 9pm
Paradise Row Projects present GOLEM Speaks for Itself, the first solo show from GOLEM, an architecture, art and design studio founded by architect and artist Ariel Claudet.
The week-long pop-up presentation showcases highlights of GOLEM’s recent work in the fields of art, design and architecture – in IRL and the Metaverse. It is a representation of the breadth of projects reflecting the studio's holistic approach to design.
The show comprises digital paintings, furniture designs and interactive projections, laid out as an architectural response to Paradise Row, designed by the studio; the works have been separated systematically by series and size, deployed across the space from smallest to largest, as if they were digital files. They sit solely on the interior elements of the white cube, playing with the theoretical notion of the blank canvas that has dominated gallery design since the early twentieth century.
As the audience moves across the space, they find themselves following a series of
narrative images, from an anthology of a non-existent house, pieced together in the mind of the collective, to the social elements and spaces of city nightlife, to fake plants that do not try to imitate the real; they are proud of their synthetic nature. These elements, taken together, reflect the prominent themes of GOLEM’s practice, across the layering of imaginary realities, spheres, functionality, and club culture.
Gros Bead materialises new forms for a non-elite-biassed world, drawing from archetypal industrial designs; Ooh-la-l’ice, shown above, is a silver ice cube necklace made in collaboration with jewellery designer and artist Laila el Mehelmy; Peek-a-booth plays to the narrative of the street pianos that are often found in public spaces, inviting people to play them freely, while also questioning the perhaps latent bourgeois-ism of those in charge of selecting what objects find their way to the public realm.
An open DJ booth will be installed in the gallery for the duration of the show, presented in partnership with the legendary techno club Fabric. DJs of all genres will have the opportunity to make their sounds resonate in Mayfair.
Each element of the show will be elucidated and illuminated by words written by friends of GOLEM, such as Maria Finders (Luma Foundation), Samir Bantal (OMA/AMO), Diana Campbell (Dhaka Art Summit, Desert X), Thibault Geffrin (Almine Rech), Nick Hackworth (Paradise Row Projects), and many more.
For press and image requests, please contact nick@paradiserow.co