Ateliers Courbet is pleased to introduce multidisciplinary artist Héctor Esrawe from Mexico and unveil his latest series of functional bronze sculptures with the artist's first solo exhibition in the United States. Entitled Transmutation, the exhibition will be on view from March 20th through April 25th, 2024 at Ateliers Courbet's Chelsea gallery (134 Tenth Ave. NY, NY 10011).

The show features the designer's GEAR series of limited-edition lights and tables hand-crafted by Esrawe’s team of art founders outside of Mexico City. In continuation of Esrawe’s body of work, GEAR reflects the artist’s unwavering commitment to the master craftsmanship heritage of his country and his ongoing tribute to the rarefied master artisans that keep it alive today.

Known for his multidisciplinary work in architecture and product design, Esrawe’s signature editions are rooted in his appreciation for materiality and Mexico’s ancestral metalsmithing practices. Combining innovative and time-honored techniques, he reinterprets and imbues common forms with revisited purposes, artisanal processes, and recontextualized materials, shedding his personal light and perspective onto them.

The design concept behind the GEAR functional bronze sculptures draws inspiration from the geometry and repeating sequences of utilitarian cardboard’s honeycomb cells. Creating his own pattern and interpretation, the artist renders a fragmented and rearranged sequence that is hand-formed and then cast in bronze or aluminum. Esrawe gives a whimsical nod to the sculptural nature of the rudimentary material inspiration by emphasizing the texture on the edges of the aleatory vertical pattern by making an elegant sculptural interpretation of the common and accessible material in refined metals.

"I'm often drawn to overlooked materials, finding an interesting and intrinsic beauty in what's often discarded. I feel compelled by simple shapes and expressions, repurposing them into objects of new meaning. Within these materials, I find a trove of hidden possibilities, rethinking their nature or their personality to create objects of purpose. My work is a tribute to the ancestral craftsmanship legacy of Mexico and the rarefied artisans that carry it on. While the design expression is contemporary, the work is completely anchored in cultural heritage." – Héctor Esrawe