martin laforêt holds first-ever solo exhibition 'inside out' at carpenters workshop gallery

martin laforêt will present his first-ever solo exhibition at the carpenters workshop gallery in london. titled ‘inside out’, it explores the nature of materiality with ten limited-edition objects, including chair and lighting designs, created by the french designer that blend concrete with oak and bronze, some of which use a 6,000-year-old wax casting technique.

mcct1 (coffee table), mcl2 b (floor lamp), mcl2 c (floor lamp)
images courtesy of carpenters workshop gallery

raised in paris but now living in eindhoven, the netherlands, martin laforêt creates objects and furniture that search for a means of self-expression inspired by his interest in shapes and material combinations. he is inspired by artisan skills and the intelligence of the hand, captured by the interplay between the inverse mould and positive form.

mcv2 (chair)

‘inside out’ features laforêt’s bronze collection that was completed using a lost-wax casting technique, with the edition of console and side tables as well as several floor and table lamps. there are also ten limited-edition objects on display that combine the mould as part of the piece, blending concrete with oak and bronze for the first time.

mcv2 (chair)

the relationship between materials is a main feature of laforêt’s work as he attempts to bring out the specific personality of materials and to produce original shapes. in his oak and concrete monumental lamps and coffee table, the two materials react with each other to give them their unique character and colour.

mcct1 (coffee table)

‘my practice moves simultaneously between cast and mould, lending a poetry to the contrasting materials and preserving the intimate relationship between them,’ laforêt explains. ‘it allows you to see the fill and the void, the inside and the outside, the positive and the negative.’

mcct1 (coffee table)

the objects created by laforêt are inspired by precast concrete blocks. precast concrete is a construction product made by casting concrete in a reusable mould or form which is then cured in a controlled environment and transported to the construction site.

portrait of the artist

‘the interplay between the inverse mould and positive form lends a poetry to the industrial construction materials I use, which includes concrete, aluminium, wooden shuttering, and steel rebars,’ he adds.

mould chair

at 28-years-old, laforêt is the youngest designer represented by carpenters workshop gallery after they discovered him during his graduate show. laforêt graduated from design academy eindhoven with a master’s in contextual design in 2017.

mould chair

‘we’ve been working with martin since he graduated and are proud to see him mature into an incredible designer,’ says julien lombrail, co-founder of carpenters workshop gallery. ‘we feel fortunate to host his first solo exhibition and can’t wait to share his new works in london from january and at PAD paris.’

‘inside out’ is on view at the carpenters workshop gallery from january 30 until april 30.

mcl2 b (floor lamp), mcl2 c (floor lamp)

mct1 (side table)

mct1 (side table)

mct2 (side table)

mcl1 (table lamp)

mcl1 (table lamp)

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project info

designer: marton laforêt
title: inside out
gallery: carpenters workshop gallery
location: london
address: 4 albemarle st, mayfair, london W1S 4G
dates: january 30, 2020 until april 30, 2020