Pictured with glass vessels by Joe Cariati, Michele Casciolo presides over her new design showroom where handmade glass objects get special attention.
Last March, Michele Casciolo opened her new design showroom called Magasin Totale in a former industrial building that has been turned into a mix of artist studios and art and design galleries in the Brooklyn waterfront neighborhood known as DUMBO. In her 7th floor showroom, Casciolo meets with interior designers, architects, and individual collectors by appointment, to share her love of work in various materials, but especially glass.
“I respond to color and form, and the way those two elements interact with light” says Casciolo. “No other medium combines them more beautifully.”
Casciolo moved to New York City to open her first design showroom because it was, to her, the only place. “Nothing compares to the collective creative energy of New York,” she told GLASS. “It’s survival of the fittest here, and I thrive on that challenge.”
James Leritz, Glass Rifle 1, 2009. Tropical fruitwood, copper, enamel, steel, borosilicate glass. H 9, W 46, D 1 1/2 in.
Representing the work of Joe Cariati, Heather Palmer, Caleb Siemon, Kiln Design Studio (Elissa Ehlin & James Leritz), and Phuze Design (Orfeo Quagliata), Magasin Total is a white cube gallery environment with low shelves to display work that Casicolo hand-picks for its strong vision. “Each artist I represent has a true passion for the process as well as the final piece,” she says. “Form and function are predominant over fussy details, but the artist must have a clear point of view.”
Asked whether she considers Magasin Totale a showroom of design or of fine art, Cosicolo says she prefers another way to describe the objects she represents: “I consider the work in my gallery to be well-design objects elevated to the level of art due to the degree of craftsmanship, beauty, and the fact that each piece is made by hand. For me, there really is no clear delineation between the two terms.”
Cosicolo says she is always looking for new artists to represent and encourages any artists interested in having their work considered to get in touch with her via email.
IF YOU GO:
Magasin Totale 10 Jay Street, Suite 724 Brooklyn, New York 11201 http://magasintotale.com
