Exhibition: NOW Gallery presents Simone Brewster's bold designs

Designer, architect and visual artist Simone Brewster’s new design commission The Shape of Things is now open for viewing at the NOW Gallery in London’s Greenwich Peninsula, until September 24, 2023.

Simone Brewster with some of her paintings.

The exhibition presents new works alongside a selection of Simone’s most notable pieces, from paintings to furniture, jewellery and sculpture that investigate the hidden linguistics behind design that are inherently entwined with societal norms and ideas of race, gender, equality and more,  displaying Brewster’s signature bold style of both ethnic and architectural elements.

Tropical Noire, a series of vessels by Simone Brewster that reference the totemic statues and
traditional Greek vessels, as well as Sub Saharan African sculpture and colonial artefacts. 

As part of the African Diaspora, Brewster’s work marries Western and African visual languages, bridging the gap between these histories, and the material shapes and forms that are imbued with cultural history and tradition. These dialogues of heritage, memory, race, gender, tradition and form are embodied in some of the key centrepieces of the exhibition.

The Shape of Things encourages the viewers to reconsider their perception of everyday objects and the way we interact with them. 

As a part of the display, Brewster presents a chaise lounge titled Negress (shown above) which embodies a Modernist perspective on a deconstructed view of the Black female body, referencing and questioning the Primitivist and Cubist interpretation of the subject. The piece was acquired by the Smithsonian in 2022 and invites the viewer to re-examine their ways of interacting with the uncanny form of the chaise lounge.

In addition to this, Brewster will showcase a series of vessels, titled Tropical Noire, that reference the totemic statues and traditional Greek vessels, as well as Sub Saharan African sculpture and colonial artefacts. 

Brewster is particularly invested in the tensions between the objects, architectural spaces and the viewer, looking at the way race, gender, memory and personal histories shape our understanding of design.
The quietly political designs raise significant issues regarding race, gender and visibility in design and architecture spaces while celebrating Black British design and African heritage.

The jewellery from the exhibition is also available to purchase from early next week and the exhibition invites participants to create their own artworks by using stamps designed by Brewster that echo the bold shapes of the sculptural pieces in the exhibition.

Brewster's work has been exhibited at the British Embassy during the London 2012 Olympic Games as an example of British Design Talent; as well as at The Royal College of Art 175 Year Anniversary Exhibition; Collect at the Saatchi Gallery, amongst many other domestic and international exhibitions.

The collection clearly displays Brewster’s signature bold style of both ethnic and architectural elements which are also echoed across her paintings, drawings and jewellery showcased as a part of the exhibition.

All images by Charles Emerson