London’s celebrated Sarah Myerscough Gallery, renowned for its focus on contemporary craft and innovative material-led design, is making its first appearance in New York City with an exciting new exhibition at Galerie56. This marks a pivotal moment for the gallery as it expands its international presence and brings a fresh perspective to the New York design scene.
Exhibition Highlights:
- Full Grown’s sculptural willow chairs, grown over many years from a single tree and cast in bronze for the first time.
- Eleanor Lakelin’s timeless horse-chestnut burr vessels, featured in the permanent collections of the Museum of Art and Design, New York, and The V&A, London.
- An elegant new collection in blonde wood by pioneering British furniture designer John Makepeace OBE.
- Masterful turned wood vessels by Ernst Gamperl, winner of the first Loewe Craft Prize in 2017.
- Teresa Hastings’ structurally complex and richly tactile hand-made wool rugs and sculptural tapestries, crafted between her studios in London and the Indian Himalayas.
- Christopher Kurtz’s carefully balanced sculptural wood furniture and delicate forms, evocative of ancient rock formations and symbols.
- Nic Webb’s hand-carved oak pendant light and companion table, emerging from a collaborative process guided by the unique character of the wood itself.
“We are absolutely thrilled to introduce this beautiful work to New York City,” said Sarah Myerscough. “The ambition for ‘Shades of Light’ was to create an assemblage of crafted works that celebrate organic materials while emerging from highly skilled and experimental processes. This exhibition is not just a showcase of extraordinary talent, but a celebration of the best makers working at the intersection of material science, craft knowledge, and sculpture. Connected to the innovative creativity of a selection of international contemporary artists, designers, and makers, we want this exhibition to inspire hope; hope in craft knowledge and material intelligence. Where nature and creativity are balanced; these works breathe integrity, authenticity, and emotion into our future interior spaces.”
For 15 years, Sarah Myerscough Gallery has focused on sculpture and design using natural materials, connecting deeply with the natural world. The gallery represents highly skilled artist-designer-makers whose practices are rooted in craft traditions but defined by contemporary innovation. The gallery’s program embraces the elemental, the imperfect, and the intersections between history and future, hand and technology, form and function.
Nick Compton of Hole and Corner Magazine observes, “Sarah Myerscough represents a collection of more than 20 artist-makers—and together they offer a unique and compelling perspective on what contemporary craft can and should be; not perfect or obviously pretty, nor backwards looking, but born of an intimate understanding of material and the cause and effect of craft skills.”
The artworks within Shades of Light highlight the restorative capacities of craft-making processes. Envisioning craft as an evolving dialogue between material and artist, the works reflect contemporary approaches to design and craftsmanship.
The exhibition will feature:
- John Makepeace OBE’s Blonde Embrace Collection, showcasing elegant and functional wood designs.
- Christopher Kurtz’s hand-carved side table and a delicate work emphasizing the emotional impact of skilled craft.
- Julian Watts’s folkloric sculptures exploring body, landscape, and function.
- Tadeas Podracky’s Morana Chair, combining traditional relief carving with a sculptural, otherworldly design.
- Marc Fish’s Ethereal Console, exemplifying meticulous material research.
The gallery will also display works by Katrien Doms (Belgium), who sculpts softwoods into dynamic wall hangings using fire, and Peter Marigold (UK), with a new piece from his Cleft series created in collaboration with Japanese craftsman Hinoki Kougei. Nic Webb (UK) will present designs influenced by forest landscapes and Japanese nature philosophies.
Full Grown (UK) will unveil their Gatti Chair, cast in bronze for the first time, while Diana Scherer (Netherlands) will showcase intricate lace-like wall hangings made from roots.
Additional highlights include:
- Ernst Gamperl (Germany) with an exquisitely delicate oak vessel.
- Marc Ricourt (France) with intricately carved seed-like vessels.
- Luke Fuller (UK) and Aneta Regel (Poland) with ceramics expressing geologic themes.
- Gareth Neal (UK) with a natural sand Twisted Pair, reflecting contemporary technology’s impact on craft.
The exhibition also features artists engaged in binding, knotting, and weaving, including:
- Lin Fanglu (China) with a monumental tapestry inspired by Bai ethnic minority craftsmanship.
- Teresa Hastings (UK) with a hand-spun rug dyed using traditional methods.
- ARKO (Japan) with a rice straw wall sculpture, revitalizing an overlooked material.
The exhibition will run from September 6 to October 25.
Established in 1998, Sarah Myerscough Gallery represents a distinguished group of contemporary craft and design artists, specializing in material-led processes with a focus on wood and natural materials. The gallery participates in major art fairs worldwide, including TEFAF Maastricht, PAD London, Masterpiece London, Design Miami/Basel, Design Miami, SALON Art + Design New York, and FOG Design + Art San Francisco.
