David Trubridge: Southern Lights
David Trubridge: Southern Lights
OCTOBER 5, 2012 THROUGH NOVEMBER 30, 2012
PHILADELPHIA- In the main gallery space, Wexler Gallery is proud to present Southern Lights, a solo exhibition of recent works by New Zealand based designer David Trubridge. The show will run from October 5 through November 30, 2012. An opening reception will take place on First Friday, October 5th from 5 – 8pm.
Trained naval architect and self-taught woodworker, David Trubridge is a designer and maker whose passion for the environment has been celebrated since the 1970’s. Well known for his innovative lighting and furniture designs on an international level, Trubridge uses only sustainably grown and treated materials to create one-of-a-kind and limited edition pieces. Often referencing forms and patterns found in nature, the designer is interested in making work that is both functional and sculptural, telling stories about the natural world and our relationship to it.
According to Trubridge:
“My ideas come from the wild places, edges of turbulence and renewal, where seas break on beaches and headlands, where land and air meet on mountain ridges. I make forms of elemental simplicity, as the erosion of air and water on wood and stone, forms that speak of humanity’s survival on earth, of life’s fragility and dependence, of comfort in the ways of the past that have succored us, and optimism for a sustainable and enriching future.
I work within the limits of what I have and know, simplicity and low impact, natural materials and processes, leaving a delicate footprint.”
David Trubridge graduated from Newcastle University in Northern England in 1972 with a degree in Naval Architecture (boat design). In the last few years he has exhibited at 100% Design in London, nine times at the Salone del Mobile in Milan, and four times at ICFF in New York. Other recent highlights include exhibitions at the Pompidou Centre in Paris, as well as important design shows in Zurich, Gwangju (Korea), Taipei, Singapore, Sydney, and Dubai.
His work can be found in numerous public and private collections around the globe, museum collections include the Minneapolis Design Museum, Minneapolis, MN (Glide, acquired in 2011), Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa, Wellington, New Zealand (Body Raft, acquired in 2004), Auckland Museum, Auckland, New Zealand. Trubridge’s designs have been featured in countless publications on an international level, from Portugal to Lithuania, Ireland to Taiwan, Iceland to Ukraine, including the influential Italian magazines Abitare, ddn and Interni, plus Time, Wallpaper, I D magazine, and even the Financial Times. The artist’s writings on design, the environment, and our culture of making have also appeared in a number of design books. The artist currently lives and works in New Zealand.
Fascinated by the notion of challenging traditional labels that categorize art, Wexler Gallery exhibits work that can coexist in the worlds of design, fine art, decorative art and craft. By questioning and challenging the boundaries of these fields, we aim to present functional and non-functional work that consistently celebrates innovation. Unified by a commitment to excellent craftsmanship and true dedication to their art, we are proud to showcase some of the world’s most esteemed artists working in their areas of pursuit.