Conie Vallese
HURS CURATOR
CONIE VALLESE
The polymath shares herfavorite brands, products and places
People aren’t one-dimensional, but somehow society’s desire to define individuals through a singular role has remained. But Conie Vallese won’t let you box her in. A sculptor, painter, ceramicist and muse, Vallese seamlessly moves between industries and mediums. The Argetinian born is equally at home creating new work in her studio, modeling the campaign for a fashion brand, or gardening at her Portugese farm. Celebrated as a tastemaker across fashion, art and design, Vallese brings a uniquely down-to-earth energy combined with a je ne sais quoi attitude. The ease with which Vallese shifts between practices and her creative flair might be in her genes. From an early age, she observed her grandmother painting, her father experimenting with sculpture and her mother’s knack for interior design. Now she’s creating a practice of her own.
THE ENCHANTING WORK OF CLAUDE LALANNE
Claude Lalanne’s unconventional design language made her one of the most renowned designers of her time. Often inspired by the botanical world – mostly by the flora and fauna she found in her own garden in her home in Ury, south of Paris – Lalanne created jewelry, sculptures and furniture pieces drawing from Surrealism and Art Nouveau. Next to her individual work, Lalanne was also known for her work in the collaborative duo Les Lalanne, with her husband François-Xavier Lalanne. Her unique way of combining decorative design and fine art styles resonated with the fashion world, leading to many fashion designers collecting her work, including Yves Saint Laurent who collaborated with Lalanne on multiple projects. Some of the French sculptor and designer’s most monumental works include the sculpture ‘L'homme à tête de chou’, which featured on the cover and as the title of Serge Gainsbourg’s album in 1976, as well as a set of cutlery she created for Salvador Dalí. This Phoenix aux Choux Daybed with cabbage leaf phoenixes was individually cast and welded by Lalanne herself. It was the first standard size bed she created, and is part of a collection of four.
“Claude Lalanne was a French sculptor and designer. I particularly love her sculptural jewelry pieces mostly cast from NATURE and this bed of my dreams made in bronze (1996).”
“Dá Licença is located in an isolated area in Alentejo which is CALM and gorgeous, surrounded by nature. I like to find places where care for detail and taste are very present and a little unpredictable too. The beauty and uniqueness of this place is that they have an incredible collection of art in their gallery space.”
A MODERN RETREAT BETWEEN ANCIENT OLIVE TREES
Around a half an hour drive from Lisbon, in the rural and historical Alentejo region lies Dá Licença. The privately owned small hotel and gallery seamlessly brings together the best of nature, art, design and food. Owners Vitor Borges and Franck Laigneau renovated the old, once working olive farm into a timeless luxury retreat with views across 13,000 olive trees. Both having worked in the creative sector – Borges oversaw textiles at French fashion house Hèrmes, and Laigneau ran an art gallery specializing in Scandinavian Jugendstil and anthroposophical design – the duo has been able to craft an experience that both feels like a gallery as well as a private home without unnecessary frills. Surrounded by rolling hills and the quiet of the countryside, it’s the perfect haven for those looking to escape the busyness of life.
THIS LONDON DESIGNER CRAFTED A WORLD FROM PEARLS AND LACE
Since launching her eponymous luxury brand in 2010, Simone Rocha has built a brand that questions what femininity means today. The London-based designer, who started out designing womenswear, has since ventured into menswear, accessories and jewelry and has collaborated with global brands including J Brand, Moncler and most recently H&M. Her work is often inspired by art, nature, family as well as Ireland and Asia, which trickles down into her voluminous dresses and beaded jewelry as well as the furniture and hand-made sculptures she creates for her stores in London, New York, Hong Kong and Taiwan. Through her universe of dark romance and designs that celebrate and shape around its wearer, Rocha has garnered a loyal following of women including Cindy Sherman and Hope Atherton.
“I met Simone in 2017 when she invited me and Dan Thawley to be part of "A magazine curated by” for a portrait among other friends and women I ADMIRE. I instantly fell in love with her dreamy and elegant world and how kind and fun she is. She later invited me to open her A/W 2019 show. I collect her socks and love her pants and laces.”
“I have been ADMIRING the shows of this gallery in NYC from the beginning. It’s truly something different from the rest of the art world. It has a soul.”
A NEW YORK BROWNSTONE TURNED GALLERY
Modeled on the 19th- and 20th-century salon, New York-based gallery 15 Orient aims to create an intimate, diverse and international space that fosters conversation and critique. Founded in 2016 by Shelby Jackson and Paul Condry, who first used the space to showcase their own work, 15 Orient is one of those galleries that captures the zeitgeist of a particular generation. Since opening, Jackson and Condry have showcased the work of numerous artists including Arisa Yoshioka, Nöle Giulini and Justine Neuberger. 15 Orient is currently presenting an off-site summer exhibition at Palazzo Carrozzini in Lecce, Italy, featuring works by from the estate of the late Serbian-Macedonian painter Ljiljana Blazevska, exhibited throughout seven rooms of the historic palazzo.
MERGING MIDDLE EASTERN MYSTIQUE AND SCANDINAVIAN MINIMALISM
Orit Elhanati’s one of a kind jewelry pieces are timeless artifacts over fleeting, trend-led designs. Founded in 2011, ELHANATI has quickly become one of the new leaders in Danish jewelry design. The handmade pieces – all crafted from recycled 18k solid gold – are inspired by the designer’s cultural heritage which spans Greece, Israel and Denmark. The result is a distinctive aesthetic language that blends Middle Eastern design sensibilities with minimalistic Nordic lines. “I have always been infatuated with my grandmother and her friends sitting on the porch in Tel Aviv dripping in gold. This has imprinted itself in my mind and has followed me throughout my life – I love the way jewelry is made to be passed on through generations and becomes a part of the woman and her story,” Elhanati says. Each piece is designed in the brand’s Copenhagen-based atelier using hammering, burning and dripping techniques creating the signature textured surface the brand has become known for.