Modern interiors retailer Aram is to mark its 60th anniversary with a limited edition Wassily chair and reopening the Aram Gallery.
Knoll’s Wassily was the first item Aram founder Zeev Aram sold at the original King’s Road, London store in 1964. Aram will have 24 Wassily chairs in a special edition black canvas, each with a unique ARAM 60 2024 stamp.
The Aram Gallery was established in 2002 at the Covent Garden location to provide a space for individuals to discover new and experimental design. From the beginning, the gallery promoted innovative concepts from both established and emerging designers, and it quickly became a significant part of London’s design scene. It closed after the death of Zeev in 2021; however, following a rebrand and to co-inside with the 60th year, Aram will launch a new gallery space in a more prominent lower ground floor location.
This will see Aram host two exhibitions in the anniversary year. The first of which will be a curated show by interior designer and gallerist Max Radford. The exhibition will feature all new work by emerging furniture and lighting designers based in the UK and will run for six weeks, starting on 3 May.
To curate the exhibition, Max Radford was given the brief inspired by a quote from Zeev: ‘I decided that I will try my best to bring to the public designs which are contemporary, [and] correct for the time.’
‘In the same way that Zeev was showcasing international contemporary design to the attention of the UK public, the new gallery space endeavours to re-platform UK-based designers to the global public. Zeev’s notion of appropriateness and truth of design is related to the exact time we inhabit, which is never truer now. In an uncertain economic time on the edge of an Anthropocene Epoch – what feels suitable for this moment in time is sustainably aware boundary-pushing design,’ says Radford.
The designers exhibiting include Amelia Stevens, Andu Masebo, Charlie Humble Thomas, Eddie Olin, EJR Barnes, Freddy Tuppen, Isabel Alonso, Jaclyn Pappalardo, John Henshaw and Lewis Kemmenoe.
‘We are thrilled to reach this special anniversary by celebrating Aram’s past, present and future. The new gallery space, which will host exciting exhibitions this year and beyond, encapsulates Aram’s future as it continues to champion the best-emerging design talent. At the same time, the special edition Wassily chair pays tribute to the remarkable history of the store. We are excited to share this milestone with the design world and look forward to many more anniversaries to come,’ says Daniel Aram, Aram director.
