Italian-British artist and designer Allegra Hicks continues to explore the art of bronze and its myriad possibilities. Through her visual language, which engages in a dialogue between opposites, she transforms rigid bronze into soft crocheted textures, revealing the warmth within cold metal.
Her Crochet Collection can be seen as an ongoing project, featuring new, one-off designs that delve into the delicate intersection between art and design.
At the heart of this body of work is the concept of transformation, something dear to Allegra as it strikes a chord with the very essence of everything around and within us. Design itself is nothing but transformation, from an idea to a three-dimensional object. Allegra further emphasizes this concept by introducing an additional transformation within the transformation: the metal reveals itself in a new, unconventional texture.
“There is almost an alchemical play on the idea of a wool crochet that morphs into bronze,” says Allegra. “Crochet is historically a delicate and mainly feminine way to express creativity; transforming it into a fusion of metals gives it a new life and a new meaning.” Handmade using the lost wax technique and cast in a renowned foundry in Naples, the designs epitomize Allegra’s poetic vein, as well as the fluid, eclectic harmony of her signature style.
Inspired by the work of renowned French ensembliers from the 1940s, Allegra has staged an elegant ensemble of pieces, beautifully displayed at Invisible Collection Paris Rive Gauche. Using the same vocabulary for the console, the mirror, and the applique, the three elements work harmoniously as a set or individually. The green marble on the console magically echoes the color of the bronze structure. Through the gaps in the crochet, the appliques emit a beautiful, shimmery, and atmospheric light.
Highlights from the exhibition include the Mandala Table, the most impressive piece in the Crochet Collection thus far. Here is where the idea of transformation takes center stage, as Allegra draws from the tradition of mandalas to create this standalone gem in crocheted bronze. Often created as temporary art forms, mandalas are intentionally erased after completion, symbolizing the transformation and impermanence of all things. The table’s concentrical motif recalls the meditative images of the mandalas, representing unity and balance.
The Crochet Collection is on view at our gallery in Paris, and available exclusively through us.
