Kawabi's Lamps Emit A Serene Glow at NYC's Colony Gallery

The Brooklyn-based duo joins Colony’s roster of independent designers, offering ethereal lighting inspired by the Asian diaspora.

Right off the heels of a debut showcase at Collectible New York in September, Kawabi has joined NYC’s “designer co-op” and gallery Colony to display their otherworldly washi paper lamps. The Brooklyn-based creative duo Irisa Na and Aaron Kawabi’s mutual reverence for Eastern spiritual practices and shared Asian heritage is imbued in each of the “vessels of illumination,” evoking images of “beacons” and “gateways.”

While familiar forms and materials recall the ancient tradition of handmade paper lanterns from East Asia, the duo’s background in product design extends these traditions with a contemporary touch. Amorphous shapes, handmade wooden structures and minimalistic switches are common threads throughout the four pieces on display, including the Souvenir lamp and floor lamp, the Legume lamp, and the Cascade pendant.

The Souvenir floor lamp is an eye-catching highlight, with a weighted pebble-filled base, its elongated wooden arch featuring a live-edge detail and the bean-like shade, resting gently at the top of the lamp. Whereas other designers may seek out clever ways to hide visible wiring, Kawabi makes it central to the design, running a woven cable through the center of the arch and embellishing it with a cylindrical brass accent that turns the lamp on and off with a light tap.

While the Legume lamp is a more conventional silhouette, upon closer inspection one will find that the shade boasts a different shape from every angle due to its asymmetrical construction, each done carefully by hand. The Cascade pendant draws its core inspiration from cascade-style (kengai) bonsais, with its elliptical shades placed at varying heights and its curvilinear wooden arms.

“When we made our first light together, we knew instantly that it was the perfect medium to carry out an intention of resonance and attunement. That same light became the seed of our opening collection with Colony and we couldn’t be more thrilled to share it in their thoughtful curation,” said the creative duo in a statement provided by the gallery.

Take a look at the installation in the gallery above and find Colony’s address below to see the pieces in person.

Colony
196 West Broadway
New York, NY 10013