æquō, India’s first collectible design gallery created by founder Tarini Jindal Handa and creative director Florence Louisy in 2022, will exhibit for the first time at PAD London this October.
The gallery will showcase new pieces by international designers that pay homage to India’s extensive and exquisite craftsmanship. æquō’s ethos is centred on fostering connections between global designers and Indian crafts, aiming to unveil a rich and often overlooked artisanal heritage.
By closely collaborating with its partner workshops across India, æquō curates collections of unique pieces, highlighting India’s historic craftsmanship in the context of collectable design.
Kelly Wearstler
æquō announces the beginning of an ongoing collaboration with renowned American designer Kelly Wearstler. Exploring solid bronze casting and copper enamelling, Wearstler has created three new works that will be presented at PAD London – a coffee table, side table and console – setting the stage for an upcoming solo exhibition of the full collection at æquō’s gallery in Mumbai in 2025.
Destroyers/Builders
Linde Freya Tangelder founded Destroyers/Builders in Belgium in 2014 and is known for a signature style involving the control of shapes and research into raw materials. æquō invited Linde to extend her aesthetic research to India and explore the technique of metal repoussé.
Reinventing the form of repoussé, Linde uses a thick surface of German silver (a precious material that combines the frosted hues of silver with the warm reflections of bronze) rather than thin sheets of metal to entirely envelop hand-carved teak wood blocks, which are then welded together. The Slabs collection includes a coffee table, a wall-mounted mirror, and a sconce light.
Boris Brucher x Florence Louisy
æquō unveils a new series of drawings by French illustrator Boris Brucher, exploring the rare Bidri metalwork on an exceptional scale with the Pila screen. Engraved in pure silver by master artisan Shilpguru Mohammamed Abdul Rauf, when unfolded, these screens reveal Brucher’s commissioned drawings in their full splendour. The freehand lines, set against the oxidized metal, narrate subtle stories, referencing Bidar’s landscape, architecture, and the Bidri process while echoing the symbolism of Indian miniature paintings.
Garcé & Dimofski
Based in Lisbon, Garcé & Dimofski explores contemporary design in its entirety. As designers, interior architects, and collectors of contemporary and antique pieces, Clio and Olivier take pleasure in crafting joyful, generous, and intriguing furniture. In 2023, æquō invited them to join the Indian artisanal adventure.
For their collection with æquō, they explore glass casting and organic forms that interlock as if moulded on top of each other, like shapes collapsing into one another, yet remain strong and solid. Recycled glass blocks encircle a brass suspension, creating a stunning chandelier with a unique character.
To achieve this, æquō collaborated with a new partner workshop in Mumbai, which introduced the pâte de verre technique to replicate ceramic models sent from the Lisbon studio. As always, the choice of technique proposed by local artisans influences the design crafted by æquō’s collaborators.
Office [L] and Tavit Bronze Light [R] by Florence Louisy.
Florence Louisy
Florence Louisy, the creative director, will be showcasing a curated selection of her latest collection from the “Panna” exhibition. Among the standout pieces, a majestic desk in solid copper with a brass interior will be unveiled for the first time in Europe.
Following its success, the Tavit chair in moulded and solid aluminium and the bronze floor lamp will accompany pieces from other designers for æquō. Finally, the new Ilia sofa, crafted from solid teak and covered in a fabric entirely hand-embroidered with silk thread, designed by the French designer and developed in Mumbai, the global hub of embroidery, will be revealed to the public for the very first time.
Lead image: Pila Bidri Screens by Florence Louisy, illustrated by Boris Brucher for Æquo.
Visit æquō during PAD London at Booth A12.
You must be logged in to post a comment.