About iii-gallery
A new initiative in the field of art, craft and design
Joining forces, ideas and the passion for contemporary art and design, Mei Lee (jewellery- and interiordesigner, owner of O-gallery and living and working in Brussels for over 15 years) and Rob Thalen (artist/silversmith and working in Thalen & Thalen Sprl, creating contemporary silver objects, and more than 10 years active in Belgium) decided to work together.
Our aim and dream is to make a platform for high quality creations in the field of art, craft and design.
Based on the very strong statement that the elements art, craft and design are linked and interconnected and that in a world of mass-production these unique values need a platform that stands out...we created iii-gallery.
Somewhere in the middle of the last century, the term designwas created. The further the century progressed, the more design became a concept. More and more products have been intentionally designed. There were functional requirements with production methods. The appearance of a product and its quality were linked to price and market. The sustainability of these products was more than once sacrificed.
Entering the field of “craft”, we notice that it is all about craftsmanship. Application and processing of materials is an important issue and this has an influence on the shape of the product. There will be a personal touch, an emotion, passion!
Here it is not primarily about the market and profits for shareholders. The creator is responsible for his or her work.
A good example is the car brand Morgan. When asked Peter Morgan, the father of the current owner Charles Morgan, who had designed the Morgan, he said: “Morgan was not designed, it evolved ...”
And then, we get into the world of art. We could say that this is thearea with no limits to where we think, imagine and develop. Creating the impossible, or supposed impossible in a freedom that again and again changes its own boundaries.
So it is, or at least should be. The speed of today’s culture also puts its mark here and many artists are deprived of their freedom.
But still occasionally we find objects, products, creations, that not immediately can be catalogued in one of these categories. They have something of all three elements. For these creations, there is no conclusive understanding.
It is precisely in this environment that we want to place iii-gallery. A platform that as it were, is a “fusion” of the three areas present.
Objects that make us happy, that were created with passion and craftsmanship, that tell something about our culture, East and West, North and South connected.
Within iii-gallery there are some fixed values. There is the unique collection of jewelry designed by Mei Lee. Her work always guarantees innovative ideas in jewelry, she is not afraid to experiment. Her core concept, you could summarize in the term “the jewel is personal again”.
If we for example, loo at her “Roche pieces”. Shapes like a fresh cutout piece of rock, with a hole in it where your finger fits ... These silver and gold rings, bear something rough, that by wearing will develop, will leave traces, the traces of the wearer.
Another is the fixed value are silver objects by Thalen & Thalen. This duo brings back large contemporary silverware to our daily life. And they understand large very literally. Objects in the shape of amphoras, vases and bowls more than 30 pounds of fine silver per piece is no exception ... And what about their “poembowls” vessels from small to very large, with manuscripts, cut in the wall of these vessels. Poetry in silver ...
But then about iii-gallery itself and especially the name. Where do those “i” s come from? Also in the name of the gallery you find this fusion idea off the ground. “I” (phonetic) in Chinese is a good thing .... two “i” s means more of these good things and when something is indicated three times in Chinese, it means many! The aim is that iii-Gallery will show many good things. On the other hand, the three “i” s in multiple sense deal with concepts such as: inspirational, innovative, interesting, as well as, interactive, international and interpersonal ... In this way, many concepts with an “i” apply or may apply in our gallery.
Then there is the addition of “Brussels”, we hope that our conceptwill have a follow-up to be found in several other cities. Well, a dream is only a dream if it can go infinitely far.
Mei Lee
rob thalen
