Loewe Lamps

LOEWE unveils its most ambitious Salone del Mobile collection to date with a commission of lamps by 24 internationally renowned artists.

For Salone del Mobile 2024, LOEWE reveals a collection of new lamps specially developed for the presentation by 24 artists, all of whom have a long-standing relationship with the house. These newly commissioned floor, table, or suspended lamps, are on view in the Palazzo Citterio from 15 to 21 April 2024 in a presentation entitled LOEWE Lamps. Light is the central medium in all these works and its properties have been embraced and manipulated by each artist, guided by their own individual practice. The showcase is LOEWE’s eighth at the international furniture fair, which enables the brand to venture into creative experiments with artists, expanding on generations of design and crafts knowledge.

This is the first time many of the 24 featured artists have created lamps, and the project has enabled them to utilize a wide range of mediums, pushing the properties of each material to create unexpected interactions with light. For many of the artists, it has also been an opportunity to introduce new techniques and materials into their practice. Playing with the pliability of bamboo, birch twigs, and horsehair; the translucencies of paper and lacquer finishes; and the dynamic reflective contrasts between glass, leather, and ceramic, they have created forms that take inspiration from natural and man-made objects — spanning lighters and storefront shutters to morphing microorganisms and hanging gourds.

Among those who have designed suspended lamps, Genta Ishizuka’s work recalls an amorphous organic cell. Ishizuka is an urushi lacquer artist who, in 2019, won the LOEWE FOUNDATION Craft Prize. His lamp is finished with layers of glossy lacquer that are stripped back to reveal glimmers of gold finishing, enhancing the gentle glow of the light that emanates from within. The renowned ceramicist, Dame Magdalene Odundo, has utilized leather for her hanging lamp. Curled to form sharp peaks, sheaths of leather protrude from a central column—an experimental departure from the round, hand-burnished vessels the artist is most recognised for.

Enrico David’s table lamp encapsulates his interest in the human form as a site of metamorphosis and transformation, resembling a standing arched figure with its face silhouetted against an illuminated onyx disc. Hafu Matsumoto’s table lamp is made up of interwoven strands of flattened bamboo, showcasing his dexterity with the plant’s tensility, gained over decades of training, including under master bamboo weaver Iizuka Shokansai.

Alvaro Barrington’s standing light, shaped like a storefront with metal shutters, complete with a pull cord in the form of LOEWE’s signature gold donut chain, extends from his exploration into the iconic doorways and New York streetscapes of his youth. Similarly, the work of Zizipho Poswa draws on her personal memories of life in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa and the daily Xhosa rituals she witnessed as a young girl. Her standing lamp is composed of ceramic, glass, and bronze and takes the form of a vessel propping up a bowl of lit orbs.

The full list of participating artists is as follows: Alvaro Barrington (Venezuela), Nicholas Byrne (UK), Enrico David (Italy), Andile Dyalvane (South Africa), Ernst Gamperl (Germany), Kazunori Hamana (Japan), Anthea Hamilton (UK), Akiko Hirai (Japan), Joe Hogan (Ireland), Ann Van Hoey (Belgium), Genta Ishizuka (Japan), Dahye Jeong (South Korea), Takuro Kuwata (Japan), Jennifer Lee (UK), Young Soon Lee (South Korea), Anne Low (Canada), Hafu Matsumoto (Japan), Magdalene Odundo (Kenya), Zizipho Poswa (South Africa), Magali Reus (Netherlands), Chikuunsai Tanabe IV (Japan), Andrea Walsh (UK), Cerith Wyn Evans (UK) and Shohei Yokoyama (Japan).

For Salone, LOEWE once again offers a collection of homewares, including ikebana vases, doorsteps, and paperweights created from woven leather, alongside bespoke designs created in collaboration with artists featured in this year’s presentation.

Bamboo artist Hafu Matsumoto has reimagined LOEWE’s iconic Puzzle and Hammock bags, alongside two entirely new shapes, a hobo and pocket bag, which are available in black or tan leather. Also renowned for his mastery of bamboo, 2017 LOEWE FOUNDATION Craft Prize finalist Chikuunsai Tanabe IV has transposed his weaving skills to calfskin leather to create intricately woven baskets. 2018 LOEWE FOUNDATION Craft Prize finalist ceramicist Ann Van Hoey has created a series of bowls, crafted from surplus nappa lambskin, in 21 unique colourways that demonstrate her signature mastery of proportion and mathematical precision. Showcasing her pioneering work in loom weaving and inspired by her 1999 series 'Takarabako', artist Kay Sekimachi has reimagined LOEWE’s Puzzle Fold tote in two sizes, alongside a new bucket bag design, both realized in a jacquard textile.

All of these items are available exclusively at Palazzo Citterio and the LOEWE Montenapoleone store, alongside a selection of limited-edition candles created specially for Salone that feature LOEWE’s newly launched ‘Roasted Hazelnut’ scent in unique vessels, which were inspired by the Japanese philosophy of wabi-sabi, finding beauty in imperfection and the spontaneity of the handmade.

LOEWE’s 2024 Salone del Mobile presentation reflects the brand’s continued investment in crafts and dedication to working with artists within and beyond its immediate output. LOEWE’s previous commissions for the fair have experimented with the forms of stick chairs, weaving techniques, and basketry, amongst other design typologies and craft forms.
In the Philippines, Loewe is exclusively distributed by Stores Specialists, Inc., and is located at Shangri-La Plaza Mall East Wing and Greenbelt 3. Visit ssilife.com.ph or follow @ssilifeph on Instagram for more information.