Each piece of Valentin Loellmann stands as a unique character on its own. Like spindle-legged tripods emerging from some sci-fi netherworld, the pieces of this German furniture designer are between aesthetic and unnerving.
The collection „m.&mme“ has been conceived like a family, growing and evolving over time. Ten new pieces are added each year, giving expression to the family narrative that runs as a red thread through this collection. While their forms or characteristics change, a common element or mood‘ will always connect the new pieces to the original ones, setting the tone of past meets present.
Johanssen Gallery at Direktorenhaus in Berlin therefore invites you to witness these first six pieces presenting the beginning of a dynasty: a bench; a cabinet with a door and a cabinet (a.o.) with drawers produced in wood and polyester.
Pieces of furniture to consider like the start of an alphabet, whose future generations will evolve as inevitable genetic branches dictate.
What could be more living than an emotion? Loellmann‘s emotions arise when he finds himself confronted with new contexts and individuals, when his environment uncovers deep insights and new perspectives. He always had an intimate attention for the objects and materials that surround him, their travels and the histories they tell. This attention is the premise to his inspirations and the following creative act.
New encounters or the discovery of abandoned places feed his imagination. Not less emotional: The traces of oil and salt water in the Bankirai wood used for the ‘m.&mme’ pieces that present a nostalgia towards their previous lives as ship planks. In general, Loellmann treats materials like living organisms.
In his creative vision and practice, it represents the opportunity to merge with other elements. The fusion of the various components stamps the final work piece with its unique character. In the act of artistic creation, Valentin Loellmann likes to think of his pieces as ‘being born’.
