PHASE SIX
MMXIX
Phase six focuses on the steady influx of external and internal oppression on our populace, and the way that oppression and society’s reaction to it manifest in our built environment. Debuting at INDEPENDENT March 2019 a part of their special projects as an incubator for unrepresented young artists ML has identified pressures and stresses that we have labeled as oppression. The internal includes our declining mental health and degrading quality of life, as well as incurable diseases and the effect of aging on the body. Return of the Oppressed shows how the oppressors, the populace, and our protective skins manifest in the built environment through a series of sculptures, reliefs and paintings. ML has included modern materials such as rubber, latex and plastic as well as old world forms and materials like hardwood, plaster and steel. The nesting forms are arranged in a way that infers protection, and a sense of armoring oneself. Much of the work is purposely stalled in a prototype stage of development in order to add layers without losing the texture of the original form.
EDSEL WILLIAMS presents INTERVENTION
Maynard Monrow with ML
THE FIREPLACE PROJECT in East Hampton, New York, is a contemporary art gallery. They are located in the former Talmage garage at 851 Springs Fireplace Road, in the Springs historic district across from the Pollock-Krasner house. They feature solo exhibitions, curated group exhibitions, and artists’ projects. They are a project space and therefore non-traditional in our approach. They do not represent artists, They present artists. Helmet Lang, Cindy Sherman, Genesis Breyer P-Orridge are just a few icons Edsel has shown in his project space. The Fireplace Project is directed by Edsel Williams.
PHASE FIVE
MMXVII - MMXVIII
An intermission between phases - these three years between became a pivot for the studio to transition out of design and into art. In this time ML created new ‘skins’ through experimenting with materials on archived work.
PHASE FOUR
MMXVI
DERMA was created for the Material Lust ANNEX in collaboration with artist Erin Riley, whose hand-woven textiles take shape on floor looms in Brooklyn. By combining simple technique with a synthesis of locally sourced and found materials (including rope, recycled punk t-shirts, calf leather, and core-spun alpaca), the series subs the order normally found in woven structure for meandering lines, malformed textures, and a sea of multitudinous blacks. The primal layered tassels became a collection of materials, interconnected, woven into a series of strands determining fate.
PHASE THREE
MMXV
FICTIONAL FURNITURE explored a fascination with development and design, striving to create ‘subconscious’ heirlooms by injecting high design into the minds of children. With an influence rooted in the surreal, a gender-neutral monochromatic palette, each piece transcended the playroom and the home to make a bold statement about the sweet fierceness of childhood throughout the ages.
VOLTA
Unveiled at VoltaNY 2015 the Vanishing twin chair was a rebirth of the Pagan chair released in 2014. The Vanishing Twin chair was a part of an installation that featured a daily cycle of ritual seating arrangements interacting with the gallery booths surrounding.
PHASE TWO
MMXIV - MMXV
The GEOMETRY IS GOD collection was driven by a fascination with Pagan and Alchemical symbolism and ancient geometries. With this series, we attempted to reinterpret these markings without losing the potency of their primary language working closely with our artisans in Florence, Italy.
PHASE ONE
MMXIII
Material Lust (Christian Swafford and Lauren Larson) abide by a Solitarian philosophy, wholly independent of trend, trajectory, or corporate system. Though their work draws on myriad influences—the guidance of their artist mothers; the old-world methods of the master artisans with whom they partner in Florence, Italy and New York; and a will to upend the commercial and conventional—their intent remains sharply focused. Through preservation of time-honored technique and an uncompromising commitment to forward-thinking design, Swafford and Larson honor the dignity in the ominous, the grotesque, and the oft-forgotten; pushing the bounds of what deserves to be seen.
INDEX OF WORK
2019
ML19001
ML19002
ML19004
ML19005
ML19006
ML19007
ML190010
ML190011
ML190012
2017
OPIOID PAINTING
SPECIAL EDITION
CREPUSCULE FLOOR LAMP
OKIPA RUG
SE VANISHING TWIN CHAIR
SE WHITE VANISHING TWIN CHAIR
DERMA IV
2016
DERMA SKIN II
DERMA TUMOR I
2015
VANISHING TWIN CHAIR
CRAWL CHAIR
IBIS CHAIR
AMALGAM STAND
AMALGAM SHELF
CREPUSCULE FLOOR LAMP
CREPUSCULE TABLE LAMP
KHNUM TABLE LAMP
DUAT TABLE LAMP
SIOUX SEMI FLUSH
KHNUM SCONCE
2014
ALCHEMY ALTAR CANDELABRA
ANKH HAND MIRROR
PAGAN CANDELABRA
PAGAN CHAIR
TREE OF LIFE LADDER
ALCHEMY TABLE
RETORT VANITY