Materials of Joy: Fumi in New York

Jochen Holz, Jamesplumb, Max Lamb, Tuomas Markunpoika, Sam Orlando Miller, Johannes Nagel, Shinta Nakajima, Francesco Perini, Voukenas Petrides, Jesse Schlesinger, Lukas Wegwerth, Emma Witter

Gallery Fumi and Galerie 56 are pleased to present Materials of Joy: Fumi in New York, a group exhibition staged at Galerie 56 in Tribeca. Marking the commencement of a three-month collaboration, Materials of Joy: Fumi in New York is the first of two presentations during Gallery Fumi’s time in the city.

Forgoing a singular theme, Materials of Joy showcases the core of Fumi’s ethos: a devotion to the conceptual while grounded in traditional craft in ways that are distinctly contemporary. Here, the works from over fifteen artists and designers from the gallery’s roster are united by a commitment to material histories and hand-led processes.

Directors Sam Pratt and Valerio Capo have cultivated a strong US audience as part of their global strategy since co-founding the gallery. Presenting FUMI’s program in New York in collaboration with Galerie56 is the duo’s latest step in deepening its reach and presence in the States.

“Over the past few years, we’ve been taking Fumi on the road: Los Angeles in 2024, Chicago in 2025, and this year, much to our excitement, New York City,” said Pratt.

“New York is a city very close to our hearts. It’s a place we know intimately – one that holds many friends, collectors, and long-time supporters of Gallery Fumi,” added Capo. “Our initial exhibition speaks to the heart of Fumi, bringing together pieces across a wide range of materials, techniques, and treatments – from traditionally crafted pieces to those more experimental and unexpected.”

"Galerie 56 is honored to collaborate with Fumi of London on the two part exhibition as we celebrate the finest artists, craftsman and galleries of our time.” said Lee F. Mindel, FAIA, founder of Galerie56.

At the center of the exhibition are several significant new works that exemplify FUMI’s focus on the dialogue between materiality and technique:

Sam Orlando Miller debuts Stella Stellata, a large-scale work developed from an earlier series, Stella Nuova (2016), in which the artist has introduced greater geometric complexity to increase the scale while maintaining a sense of fragmentation. Many of the mirror works incorporate rotational symmetry that is subtly and deliberately disrupted by framing them within an ovoid form containing more than one centre. This approach questions the very idea of a fixed centre. In creating Stella Stellata, the artist reflected on the sun as the centre of our astronomical realm and considered how to construct a realm without a centre. In doing so, the work seeks to open a space for wonder.

San Francisco–based Jesse Schlesinger introduces new sculptural and functional works that fuse ancestral knowledge of trees with the sharp vernacular of contemporary America. Known for applying high-gloss automotive paint to carved wood surfaces, Schlesinger creates objects that shimmer and shift as viewers move around them. The paint’s iridescent finish activates the grain beneath, prompting a dynamic encounter with material, light, and motion.

Athens-based studio Voukenas Petrides unveils Volumetric Console, cast in white bronze using the ancient lost-wax process. In this labor-intensive technique, a wax model acts as a temporary intermediary between a gypsum mold and molten metal. The resulting form balances expressive structure with a refined sensitivity to materiality, light, and spatial presence.

In new works by Francesco Perini, traditional Tuscan marquetry techniques guide the seamless union of oak and Patagonia quartzite. Across cabinets, dining tables, and coffee tables, Perini inlays the stone within the wood so fluidly that the pairing feels elemental – two ancient materials joined unexpectedly.

Ceramicist Johannes Nagel presents a new body of works in glazed gold and luster fired directly onto the ceramic surface. Where thin applications reveal violet undertones, thicker passages deepen toward blackened edges, extending the tonal range of the hue. The result is a tactile surface in which the density of glaze and the heat of firing shape gold into a shifting presence influenced by light and shadow.