OHLA Studio & Eusebio

AGO Projects presents its new joint exhibition, a collaboration between OHLA Studio, founded by Giulia Zink and Mat Trumbul in San Miguel de Allende, and the prominent industrial designer and ceramist, Eusebio from Monterrey, Nuevo León.

AGO Projects invites art and design enthusiasts to immerse themselves in a world of materiality, where organic lines, patterns, and carefully crafted finishes on metal, rock, and ceramics transport us to a space of meditation, peace, and contemplation.

This exhibition represents a challenge and evolution in the language of AGO Projects. Neutral colors, glazes, and bronze-toned lighting dominate this display, creating a unique experience that connects with the spirit of the gallery. Through emphasis on the handmade craft process and respect for the traditional manufacturing processes inherent to Mexico and Latin America, the gallery aims to reaffirm its commitment to promoting the culture and artisanal heritage of the region.

The exhibition features nearly a dozen unique and captivating designs resulting from the collaboration between OHLA Studio and Eusebio. Some of these creations are presented as limited editions and collectibles, with the purpose of bringing emerging design in Mexico to the national and international collecting circuits.

AGO Projects takes pride in being a meeting point for creativity and innovation in the world of art and design. The exhibition promises to captivate visitors and provide them with an immersive experience that transcends the limits of materiality and aesthetics. This exhibition is a celebration of the diversity of artistic talent in Mexico and its ability to inspire and enrich our lives.

About OHLA Studio

Giulia Zink's (Italia, Serdeña, 1989) and Mat Trumbul's (San Diego, California, 1983) combined knowledge of art and design, quickly took them from interior decoration to object design. In the spring of 2020, they arrived in Mexico to put the finishing touches on “Sin Nombre”, a design gallery combined with an artist residency in San Miguel de Allende, a historic city whose old town contains many preserved buildings from the colonial period. This house in the middle of a labyrinth of cobblestone streets was intended to be a place where exchange and emulation between like-minded people would foster creative impulses. With the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, travel became impossible and the couple was forced to settle in Mexico temporarily.

Their forced stay in Mexican territory, permeated by a warm palette of sand tones, now surrounds the creative duo's first collection of lighting and furniture, launched at the end of 2022. The “Alcocer” collection is a celebration of crafts, such as stone carving, goldsmithing, and metal casting.

“In our formal experiments, we decided to focus on the materials themselves and allow contemporary volumetric architecture to determine the design, preceding any consideration of color in favor of form and finish,” explains Giulia.

Behind the modern lines of her creations made with the help of artisans and small local communities, there are a lot of references to the rich cultural heritage of Mexico and sometimes, a definitive nod to the classic styles of Giulia's homeland, Italy.

For the exhibition at AGO, Giulia and Mat created limited edition collectible design pieces using materials including bronze and stone.

About Eusebio

Eusebio (Monerrey, 1991), industrial designer, studied at the University of Monterrey, where he resides. His first introduction to ceramics was in his last university years and it was at that moment that he decided to specialize in this field.

His career began with small commissions of utilitarian pieces for restaurants and productions commissioned by plastic artists. The versatility to create new shapes and textures through ceramics is the foundation that Eusebio seeks in each work: imagining and giving life to juxtaposed organic forms.

The malleability that ceramics can have and its high level of tactile impression is the designer's favorite characteristic. His sensitivity and how it is reflected on the clay manages to perpetuate the memories of each touch and turn he gives to his works. The inexhaustible expressiveness of ceramics continues to allow it to create pieces with lively movements, defining them with unusual textures and colors, which make each object a unique and unrepeatable moment.

On this occasion, Eusebio will present large-scale and totemic pieces made of local clay and burned traditionally.

— AGO Projects