" The making of the Apollo Mirror began with the formal interest in juxtaposing materials - namely, the austere hardness of mirror with the soft warmth of hand-spun and hand painted silk. Paired with the bifurcated circle and overall symmetry, the result is an object that centers itself within a conversation of references that are wildly diverse but yet only some can be understood within the narrow focus of western art and design. For example, the Scandanavian influences, along with references to macrame and western high fashion, may read top of mind. But other references, many of which are long standing non-western influences not part of historical vernacular, are also present. We celebrate the ways in which the Apollo Mirror comes from a long line of work that owes its formal qualities to not only western design ideals, but the design ideals seen within the African diaspora. This includes the use of juxtaposing materials, as seen in both sculptural and ceremonial objects throughout central Africa. Our use of symmetry, angular pairings, and strong two-dimensional forms are part of a long aesthetic history as seen in Egypt and beyond. Also important to note is that as designers we are working under the strong influence of western European and American artists from the 19th and 20th centuries, most of who were taking their aesthetic reference points from non-western artistic cultures, but not always being transparent in their origin sources. "

- Aja Blanc, Designer

Ben & Aja Blanc is a Providence-based design studio whose work merges art with functionality, resulting in contemporary functional designs that possess a modern style inspired by fine art.

" EWE’s Partera Chair is a homage to the birthing chair commonly used in ancient Mexico, as well as in other parts of the world. Our re-interpretation carefully derived by respecting its origin, history, and portraying the power of the object, reflected in its shape and the process of hand-carving and burning the wood.

In our practice, we believe the importance of recognizing the cultural, material, and artisanal heritage of Mexico, by elevating its quality and its language to a contemporary context. Objects are snapshots of our reality that in the future become archaeological remains in the way we think and do things. We would like that the pieces we create, can be read as a conscientious way of looking back in heritage while creating contemporary work with integrity.

TRNK’s exhibition PROVENANCED breathes of our essence and shares our ethics. Our mission to preserve and advance Mexican ancient techniques and aesthetics, while creating new languages and meanings. For EWE it is important to work in parallel with our artisans, while challenging one another and forging inspiration and meaning from our past. "

- Age Salajõe, Curator of Ewe Studio

EWE is a design studio based in Mexico City, devoted to the preservation and advancement of Mexico’s rich artisan heritage.

" It's said that originality is dependent on the obscurity of your sources. Picasso is quoted as saying "Good artists copy. Great artists steal." We disagree. Now, more than ever, we share a collective responsibility to acknowledge the true origins of ideas.

When we buy African art, we don't see it as 'tribal' or 'primitive', as it's so often reduced to. We see it as art in its own right. We buy with the intent of showing how the likes of Picasso, Brancusi, Braque, Modigliani, Gaugain and countless others have borrowed endlessly from African art, and how it has played such a central role in the birth of modern art, sculpture and design.

It could be a Fang reliquary head that directly influenced Modigliani's elongated faces, or a Zulu neckrest re-interpreted by Marcel Coard as a carved wood bench in the 1930's. Those connections fascinate us. That's why we're delighted to engage in TRNK's conversation around African and indigenous contributions to Western design language. "

- Avril Nolan, FORM Atelier Co-Founder

Form Atelier is a Brooklyn based showroom and creative consultancy who looks for the connections between art, objects and furniture, and how they contribute to a larger narrative.

Ethiopian American artist and industrial designer Jomo Tariku is defining a new design language of modern African-themed furniture. As a young boy growing up in Ethiopia he was always drawn to the eclectic art, souvenirs, and furniture pieces his father collected during his travel throughout Africa and beyond. Jomo developed craftsman skills while spending his summer breaks at a local furniture builder in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia . He went on to study Industrial Design at the University of Kansas, U.S.A and completed his college thesis on Contemporary African Furniture. Jomo’s furniture include a wide variety of artistic designs that synthesis his own experience of the continents diverse culture, historical structures, architecture, traditional furniture, colors, artifacts, landscapes, wildlife and hair styles.

- Jomo Tariku, Designer

Ethiopian American artist and industrial designer Jomo Tariku is defining a new design language of modern African-themed furniture.

" The design of this piece is reminiscent of a woman with her arms raised, hence her name, Dona Lamp. The figure of women has historically been oppressed by patriarchy, and not only the role of women, but also people with different sexual orientations, races, or religions.

History has always given priority and protaganismo to men, relegating and excluding women. The Renaissance, for example, is a "rebirth" only for men, who saw their educational and employment possibilities improved at that time. For women it was the opposite: they could not access humanistic education and laws were passed that further restricted their possibilities.

Our first ancestors learned to make clay and bake pottery; they worked enamel and mixed cosmetics - the origin of chemical science. Taking care of agriculture and gathering, they also discovered the medicinal properties of plants and learned how to dry, store, and mix plant substances. Women have always been healers, surgeons, and midwives. But unfortunately these works have not been considered with the same importance as those carried out by men.

Not only these issues motivate me to work, many things that surround me are inspiring for me, nature and its organic forms, culture, and art. The work of many artists is a great source of inspiration, such as Picasso, Miró or Brancusí, who are among my favorites, but above all strong women who have been brave breaking stereotypes and carving out a niche in professions in which at that time they were a minority, for example Gerogia O'Keefe or Barbara Hepworth.

The work that Tariq is doing seems to me to be fantastic and necessary, as it emphasizes African, Indigenous, and Ancient art. An art that is not as recognized as it should be and is simple, pure, and innocent, something really difficult to achieve today.

I am especially attracted to his way of using clay and the techniques used, civilizations that have left a great legacy of pieces, in which we see and understand their needs and modus vivendi thanks to them.

The coiling technique was the one used to create them, I feel fascinated by those modeled pieces, leaving the handprint impregnated in the clay, pieces made with great talent, with harmonious silhouettes, and durable, so much so that some have survived intact to this day. The Dona Lamp has great influence from African art - the shape is natural, showing the technique with which it has been made, not trying to make a perfect piece, showing beautiful defects that make the piece more authentic and honest. The material chosen in this case, raffia, is a material that comes from Africa, widely used in its crafts. "

- Marta Bonilla, Designer

Marta Bonilla is a Barcelona-based ceramicist who crafts each piece by hand, intending to render visible traces of the creative process.

" We see PROVENANCED as an opportunity to go a bit further at examining what happens when certain concepts become part of a shared aesthetic history, as well as what our specific role in that history is. Being based on the island of Sardinia, and fully dedicated to celebrating, sharing and reproposing its historic crafts, we work within a very specific realm. The island, being located in the middle of the Mediterranean, has had many cultural influences, including from Northern Africa and the Middle East. More specifically, the iconography of the island has been strikingly constant, with even contemporary crafts being influenced by the island’s Neolithic arts and the many cultures that have been present over past millennia.

However, this show has asked us to confront our choices as Art Directors more directly. Why one design and not another? While we do maintain that each object we present is loyal to our island’s heritage - any Sardinian who sees our chairs instantly recognizes them as Sardinian chairs - we think this is a conversation that is rarely approached with the necessary subtlety, complexity, and specific responsibility that it requires. The question that this show poses, and that we honestly rarely ask ourselves so candidly, is how do we approach the concept of beauty, and why? Why does something feel representative, and to whom?

One of the most fascinating aspects of Sardinia’s history to us has always been the enormous influence that various peoples (both Western and non-Western) have had on the island, and how the local culture has resisted fully assimilating into a neat representation of European norms. It is an integral part of our work to explore those histories and detail them with each object we present. PROVENANCED was a new opportunity to highlight this heritage in a meaningful and thoughtful way. "

- Kyre Chenven, Pretziada Co-Founder

Pretziada is a creative practice located in Sardinia dedicated to forging new human connections through interdisciplinary artistic action, building invisible bridges between the island and the rest of the world.

" The main inspiration for our ongoing Wild Minimalism Collection that started in 2016 was the desire to go “back to the roots”. In today’s restless world, unfolding hidden treasures of our historic roots, is what grounds us and brings us closer to our true Selves. We see “Wild Minimalism” as a new design direction that mixes ethnic and primitive shapes, to create sculptural pieces that have an unmistaken human- made feel. Using wood carving techniques of our ancestors, we wanted to give traditions a second chance, by honoring and preserving them and to carry them forward into the future.

Stripped down to the core essence, the objects have a strong symbolic and graphic feel and even though rooted in the archaic, they feel totally modern and authentic in everyday life. With Wild Minimalism, we wanted to catch a “simple bliss of life” and create something very simple but wild at the same time - to create something that is deeply connected. "

- Nata Janberidze, Co-Founder of Rooms Studio

Rooms is a Tsibili, Georgia-based design studio, characterized by a fondness for storytelling, exploring different directions and a mental acuity.