Exhibitions
Event
«La Nave 1984-1991» exhibition at the Institut Valencià d’Art Modern (IVAM)
«La Nave 1984-1991» exhibition at the Institut Valencià d’Art Modern (IVAM)
La Nave was a collective of designers born from the merger of the Caps i Mans and Enebece (NBC) studios, which brought together eleven professionals from different disciplines, ranging from industrial and graphic design professionals to visual artists, architects and quantity surveyors. This exhibition brings together the prolific work of Eduardo Albors, Paco Bascuñán, José Juan Belda, Carlos Bento, Lorenzo Company, Sandra Figuerola, Marisa Gallén, Luis González, Luis Lavernia, Nacho Lavernia and Daniel Nebot.
From 9 March until 10 September, the Institut Valencià d’Art Modern (IVAM) is hosting a retrospective exhibition on the important work of this group of Valencian designers.
The work of La Nave is framed in a social context of transcendental political, social and cultural changes that gave rise to a movement that was known as “La Movida”, which was particularly relevant in Madrid, Barcelona and Valencia. This historical moment was also a turning point in the practice of design with the appearance and consolidation of postmodernist aesthetics, which represented a formal liberation and the definitive overcoming of the rigid principles of the Modern Style synthesised in the rejection of ornament—postulated by Adolf Loos—and Sullivan’s maxim “form follows function”. The resulting design was influenced by the major breakaway movements of the time: Memphis and Alchimia in Italy; the emerging figure of Philippe Starck; the graphics of Neville Brody; the work of Sostres or Peret in Barcelona, or that of Tibor Kalman in the United States.
«The work of La Nave is framed in a social context of transcendental political, social and cultural changes that gave rise to a movement that was known as “La Movida”, which was particularly relevant in Madrid, Barcelona and Valencia»
La Nave was dissolved in 1991, just when it was beginning to attract foreign clients such as Alessi in Italy and Tombow in Japan. Throughout those seven intense years, the personal and professional circumstances of some of its members had changed and they drifted apart. The initial common objectives were no longer shared by all and, gradually, they abandoned La Nave until the collective ceased to exist in the summer of 1991. From then on, each of them pursued their own professional careers. The subsequent teaching work of a large part of the group, their involvement in collective activities and the positive personal relationships and collaborations they maintained over the years have kept the spirit of La Nave alive.
La Nave led the transition from a classic concept to a postmodern mentality suited to the new social and productive reality in which the communicative value of the object progressively gained ground over functional aspects. At the same time, the market and its insatiable need for novelty started to become dominant. This was the intermediate step between the modern movement and its motto of “form follows function” and the current situation, where the motto could be transformed into “form follows the market”.
