Isaac Monté has a fascination for unusual materials and an urge to master and manipulate these materials. He is a Belgian designer based in Rotterdam, The Netherlands. Isaac studied at art academies in Belgium, The Netherlands and Norway. His interest in product design developed at Willem de Kooning Academy in Rotterdam, where he graduated as product designer in 2013. The work of Isaac Monté has been shown in a variety of galleries and exhibitions in Belgium, The Netherlands, Italy and Germany. Isaac is lecturing and leading workshops in various institutions, from the industry (IKEA) to art academies. Monté was awarded TheThreshold Price as most talented graduate in 2013, with his project “Filter Factory”. In 2014 he was awarded the Henri Winkelman Award for young creative entrepreneurs in Rotterdam. In 2015 he was announced as one of the recipients of the Bio Art and Design Awards. This award gave him the opportunity to design “The Art of Deception” in collaboration with Toby Kiers, Professor in Evolutionary Biology at the Free University in Amsterdam.
In the framework of our freshly opened Season IV “Crystallized” group show, you are warmly welcome to discover a new universe of outstanding works and installations exploring the organic through ceramics,
Our speed and efficiency —faster, better, stronger. This has caused a shift in our perception of time. In our fast paced society time seems to fly, time has become a luxury product, time has become a currency. In reality time has been passing at the same speed for ages. Nature can be seen as the opponent of today’ s society. Natural processes are the proof of time. For the last months I have been researching stalagmites, one of the greatest wonders of nature. I have been experimenting with minerals to grow stalagmites and to conduct their shape and colour. By dissolving minerals in water and by heating up this solution it is possible to create an oversaturated medium. During the cooling process these minerals transform into crystals. Further on I have been researching a variety of dying techniques, minerals, pigments and colorants to change the color of the crystals. The growing process of these objects can be seen as a metaphor for time. Each object is unique in shape, color and texture, due to the organic development. The objects are the result of the natural crystallization of minerals and the influence of the designer on the formation process.
Our speed and efficiency —faster, better, stronger. This has caused a shift in our perception of time. In our fast paced society time seems to fly, time has become a luxury product, time has become a currency. In reality time has been passing at the same speed for ages. Nature can be seen as the opponent of today’ s society. Natural processes are the proof of time. For the last months I have been researching stalagmites, one of the greatest wonders of nature. I have been experimenting with minerals to grow stalagmites and to conduct their shape and colour. By dissolving minerals in water and by heating up this solution it is possible to create an oversaturated medium. During the cooling process these minerals transform into crystals. Further on I have been researching a variety of dying techniques, minerals, pigments and colorants to change the color of the crystals. The growing process of these objects can be seen as a metaphor for time. Each object is unique in shape, color and texture, due to the organic development. The objects are the result of the natural crystallization of minerals and the influence of the designer on the formation process.
Arnout Meijer at Galerie VIVID, Isaac Monte at OBJECT Rotterdam, Dominique Gonzalez-Forster at Sonneveld House, and more art design crossovers to see during Art Rotterdam Week.
Season IV – Crystallized Group Show 23.2 – 15.2.2017 Vernissage: 22.2.2017 Crystallized is a group show about contemporary explorations in the organic: applied arts and design installations employing ceramics,
