Wonderland

Melissa Coote

Decorjois

Refind

Scosha

Gruin Gallery is pleased to present a group exhibition of the Australian artist Melissa Coote, Decorjois l’object d’arts, Scosha and Refind jewelry.

Melissa Coote began 120 Suns with the wet plate collodion technique (tintype) in 2019, and completed the body of work with an older Daguerrotype technique. Having no negative and thus no means of replication, each tintype and Daguerreotype is totally unique; the image captured is particular and unique to the moment of its capture.

This work is something that sears right into our imaginative and creative selves. The camera shutter is opened for a matter of seconds and the image of the sun is burned onto the silver gelatine gel on the tin or the iodine fumed pure silver plate. It is nothing like the familiar ‘objects’ that we photograph; this is pure intense light and it is the sheer intensity of the sun’s light that is scorched into the silver. The result is something that is round, yes, just like the sun but isn’t at all a ‘picture’ of the sun. Each plate glows, and changes color depending on the angle that you see it from - it interacts with the light in the room. It is gold, it is silver, it is blue, it is green. The daguerrotypes even disappear under certain light.

Lining the camera up and catching the sun is very tricky, as the sun is moving across the screen very fast. Coote calculates the speed it is moving and the direction in order not to miss it. Of course, it is in fact earth that is moving, not the sun. We are in constant motion, the planet, the elements even, as we are the center of our universe and believe ourselves to be still. The sun is a brilliant projection of light, energy, vibration, life rather than an ‘object’. It is so intense that if we look at it for too long it would blind us. We can’t really see the sun but the silver plate can capture something of its energy.

Sylvia Knight is the founder of Decorjois, a vintage furniture, art, and antiques powerhouse with an in-house interior design division. With a long roster of celebrity clientele, Decorjois upholds a level of excellence in providing high-end finery and unique fanfare for both residential and commercial interiors. Knight’s designs and acquisitions draw inspiration from her extensive years as a set designer in Paris and Los Angeles, as well as from the aesthetic credos of Saudi Arabia, where she was born and raised. She is currently based in LA.

Refind is a preloved high-end jewelry marketplace that recirculates luxury bling in the hopes that it can be reloved. Refind is onsite to help clients list and sell their once-loved jewels - giving them another opportunity to shine and giving clients return on investment.

Scosha’s designs find beauty in the imperfect, the kooky, and the one-off. Where others see an inclusion in a diamond as a blemish, Scosha sees a unique birthmark to be celebrated. The Scosha aesthetic is a colorful, creative combustion of Art meets Artifact. Blending the raw with the refined is a Signature Scosha, whether it's in the everyday diamond and braided macrame bracelet made from upcycled fishing line, or the multicolored bejeweled ear huggie that’s never taken off. Scosha crafts luxurious eclectic pieces to be worn casually everyday - the more boisterous the clash, the better!