88 Gallery, Roxane Lahidji and Kris Lamba in conversation. Topic: Functional art: practice and process.

At 5 PM on 18 September, we are hosting a conversation on functional art today with two rising stars of the contemporary art and design world: Roxane Lahidji and Kris Lamba. A selection of cross-disciplinary pieces in diverse materials by other artists on our list will also be on show at the gallery throughout the week. The materials and processes Roxane Lahidji and Kris Lamba use are very different, but both create pieces that break boundaries, creating sculptural objects that are not just to be looked at, but touched and used. Born in Paris and currently working in Belgium, Roxane Lahidji’s work centres on experimentation with both materials and techniques. Her development of ‘Marbled Salts’, a material made from salt and resin, reflects her commitment to sustainability, for she seeks to balance local and renewable resources, environmentally friendly production processes, and essential human values. Keen to reconcile production and sustainability, her practice involves experimenting with low-tech methods and traditional craft techniques to create unique pieces of collectible design. She describes it as an alchemical journey, and the process does indeed involve using an underrated resource to make pieces of outstanding beauty and quality. Each object she produces is the result of a transformational process, and each reflects her thoughtful, hands-on approach which is closer to that of a sculptor than a furniture-maker. Born in London, Kris creates large and small-scale sculptures, paintings and edition-based functional art. He aims in part to remove the element of ‘self’ from the creative process and limits himself to the adjustment of parameters such as temperature, weight and applied force. Using custom-designed machinery he works with a variety of industrial biopolymers, selectively freezing and re-heating the molten material where necessary, creating shapes that appear grown rather than made. The forms are then refined and re-worked over a period of weeks and are either cast in bronze using the traditional ‘lost-wax’ method, or are finished in precious metals, pigment-rich paints and composite resin fabrics. Kris’s stretched and manipulated sculptures can be seen as a rebellion against the confines of traditional categories; their spontaneous forms a reworking of traditional artistic practice. Both Roxane and Kris’s work brings art into the everyday in an eminently tactile way, and some of the questions to be raised in the course of the discussion are: what enables a piece of ‘functional art’ to emerge? What role do the artists' processes play in the categorisation of a piece as an artwork? How important are materials? Can functional art transform our living spaces? What new potential does this cross-discipline category have today? The topic is vast, and there will be a chance to chat to the artists directly after the discussion. If you can’t make the talk, feel free to drop in throughout the week to discover our curated selection of pieces by some of the most exciting artists and designers working today. We are proud to represent people from around the world and our collection is constantly evolving as new pieces are developed and new talents welcomed. Unlike many galleries, we actively support young designers and often fund production, enabling them to focus on their creative output. Quality of materials is crucial to us, as is the uniqueness of each piece. We hope, by building on our collection year by year, to share our enthusiasm for art and design and our dedication to contemporary creativity. We look forward to welcoming you at the gallery.