Scheherazade
Curated by Lexing Zhang
10 January 2020 - 29 February 2020
H.N. LIN Design Center, Shanghai
Miami-based gallery ART LEXÏNG is excited to unveil a special exhibition entitled “Scheherazade” in
celebration of H.N. LIN Design Center’s flagship showroom opening on Julu Road in Shanghai.
The project takes its name from the female protagonist, Scheherazade, from the One Thousand and One
Nights—the canonical collection of Middle Eastern stories. The exhibition explores contemporary design
narratives by showcasing the work of young designers living and working in countries along the ancient
“Silk Road” trade route—bringing together the work of award-winning designers from places as varied as Greece, Italy, Netherlands, Portugal, Australia, and Iran. It’s meant to spark dialogue by weaving interconnections between their respective work and, more broadly, their shared cultural heritage. It not
only spans continents but mediums as well, covering themes as varied as Islamic architecture and Greek
geometry in textiles, glassworks, and watercolors. “Scheherazade” not only seeks to introduce
Shanghai’s coterie of collectors to the latest trends in contemporary design, but create a bridge between
East and West based on a heritage of cultural cross pollination and collaboration.
In keeping with its mission to draw comparisons between disparate cultural legacies, “Scheherazade” is
composed of three elements: an immersive tent, meant to house the exhibition, based on the set-design
sketch “Scheherazade” (1910) by Leon Bakst for the famed Ballet Russes; an exhibition of paintings by
the Iranian artist Reza Shafahi; and a screening of a film by the late Georgian director Sergei Parajanov,
entitled “The Color of Pomegranate,” a poetic look at the life of 18th-century Armenian poet Sayat-Nova
.
The tent itself borrows heavily from Bakst’ original design, but is reimagined with tradition Chinese tie-
die blue fabric, as well as a red floral bedding fabric that was a staple of Mao’s Cultural Revolution. The
updated design was done in collaboration with Shanghai-based, Greek architect Kostas Chtzigiannis.
One of the rooms in the tent highlights the work of Lebanese designer Richard Yasmine of HAWA
Beirut. It features a collection of light airy furniture inspired by Lebanese architecture, specifically high
swooping arches. Hawa in Arabic means a light summer breeze, a deep love, or a passion towards
someone or something. HAWA Beirut engenders a feeling of nostalgic reflection towards their ancestors
by creating work aimed to foster a feeling of harmony—continuing the communication between past,
present, and future generations.
Other notable pieces include Kostas Chatzigiannis’s sofa inspired by ancient Greek geometry;
Melbourne-based, Portuguese designer Marta Figueiredo’s vibrant and evocative totems that fuses
contemporary design with traditional Portuguese craftsmanship; Serena Confalonieri’s “Arabesque,” a
collection of vases which not only refers to one of the most famous ballet poses, but also harks back to the costumes of the Bauhaus Triassic Ballet—designed to be deliberately bulky and limit the dancers’
movements, thus creating an entirely new style; Chinese designer Li Dengting’s “Modern Bonzai” is an
homage to the notoriously temperamental house plant rendered in plexiglass. Also on view is the work of
Dutch design firm Rem Atelier, whose work frequently incorporates organic forms in bright, vibrant
hues. Their “Melon Totems” were cast from several real melons before being shaped by hand, leaving the
shapes bumped and dented.