The Mexico City art space Galerie Philia debuts its exhibition “Montesino” as the featured guest at Design Week República Dominicana in Santo Domingo this week (March 13—19). Presented within the Pedro Ramírez Vázquez-designed Monumento a Fray Antonio de Montesino, the show of contemporary design features more than 10 designers, artisans, and design studios in a tribute to the 16th-century friars Antonio Montesino and Bartolome de Las Casas, who defended the rights of indigenous Caribbeans.
Installation view, “Montesino,” photo by Maison Mouton Noir, courtesy of Galerie Philia.
The Monumento a Fray Antonio de Montesino, a former gift from the government of Mexico to the Dominican Republic, has a history and heritage that is fitting for the show that celebrates Montesino and de Las Casas with the work of creators and makers from Mexico, Argentina, Peru, and Venezuela. Exalting design’s ability to transcend boundaries of culture and geography, curators Ygaël Attali invite viewers to celebrate the legacy of Montesino and de Las Casas by acknowledging the country’s colonial history and commemorating the ties between the Dominican and Mexico.
“We are honored to be participating in the Design Week Dominican Republic for the first time,” said Galerie Philia’s founder, Attali. “With this exhibition, we hope to provide a compelling insight into the extreme beauty, intricacies, and richness behind the craft and cultural heritage that emerges from Mexico, the Dominican Republic, the Caribbeans, and Latin America, celebrating this fascinating blend of cultures within the world of design.”
Installation view, “Montesino,” photo by Maison Mouton Noir, courtesy of Galerie Philia.
In “Montesino,” Attali from Galerie Philia presents an interior landscape of a minimalistic nature, through furniture, lighting, and objects in an array of natural and earthen materials—a nod to the historic rituals and age-old craftsmanship of indigenous people. From the ceramicist Ysabela Molini’s stoneware workshop Casa Alfarera Santo Domingo, is a suite of delicate ceramic objects, while Comité de Proyectos (a duo comprised of Mexican artisans Andrea Flores and Lucía Soto) debuts a piece from a series called “Centinelas,” inspired by Zapatista women—a beautiful squared bar cabinet with geometric details made from warm brown Huanacaxtle wood, featuring woven sisal legs.
There’s also a unique sculptural chair entitled Ignis Ossium by the Mexico-based studio ACOOCOORO (which was made by casting sand in bronze), a light sculpture made of spheres of white onyx sourced from the Andes by Cristián Mohaded, four new pieces made from Mexican stone by Andrés Monnier, and a Tori stool made of smooth white travertine by the Argentinian Ries Estudio. Other featured creators include names like Alina Rotzinger, Manu Bañó, Estudio Rafael Freyre, Marchanta, Raylin Díaz, Daniel Orozco Estudio, and Verdi Design.
Installation view, “Montesino,” photo by Maison Mouton Noir, courtesy of Galerie Philia.
Installation view, “Montesino,” photo by Maison Mouton Noir, courtesy of Galerie Philia.
Installation view, “Montesino,” photo by Maison Mouton Noir, courtesy of Galerie Philia.
Installation view, “Montesino,” photo by Maison Mouton Noir, courtesy of Galerie Philia.
