Nigel Coates: Baroccabilly

Baroccabilly: by Skott from Cristina Grajales on Vimeo.

Cristina Grajales Gallery is pleased to present the first exhibition in the United States of Nigel Coates, the Baroccabilly collection. With these works, Coates brings to life a fantasy world that evokes the decadence of the baroque and rococo, while incorporating design elements drawn from musical culture, as well as biological and geometric influences.

Baroccabilly is a collection of ten limited edition furniture and lighting pieces that are connected through the spirit of the ‘Baraccoabilly.’ As Coates puts it, the ‘Baroccabilly’ is “an imaginary rebel outsider who finds himself lost in Baudelaire’s ‘luxe-calme-volupté.’” This spirit is physically realized in the mixture of forms, textures, and shapes that define the Baroccabilly collection. Each piece is created in collaboration with the historic furniture company Poltronova, and is produced in editions of twelve.

This collection first debuted at the Venice Biennale of Architecture. This exhibition of the Baroccability collection will be the first time since then that all ten pieces are displayed not just in the United States, but also as a complete set.

Coates’ diverse background—architecture and design—is apparent in the combination of influences that inspire his work. He states, “I go for architecture that overlays and enhances. By blending observation and wit with reason, I want my work to generate a sense of the unexpected, and the seemingly spontaneous.” Coates achieves this unexpected and whimsical energy in his Baroccabilly collection.

This exhibition demonstrates Nigel Coates’ unique and experimental artistic vision, and represents his artistic debut in the United States. The Baroccabilly collection also features a mural of the Baroccabilly logo, completed Skott Johnson.

For press about Baroccabilly, please follow the links below or see our "News" page:

Donna Paul's article in The New York Times.

Wendy Goodman's visual and narrative slideshow in New York Magazine.