On February 20, from 6pm to 8pm, guests will gather at Luminaire Los Angeles to celebrate the transformative power of raw materials as reimagined through expressive, poetic forms at the groundbreaking exhibition Souvenirs of a Forgotten Past. What began at Luminaire Chicago during the NeoCon design showcase in 2024 and traversed to Luminaire’s Flagship showroom in Coral Gables last fall, now hails a robust welcome at Luminaire Los Angeles, concluding in a burst of identity, belonging, and human connection to place during the 2025 Frieze Art Fair, which lauds the remarkably dynamic culture of Los Angeles and its international impact. A pioneering collaboration between SolidNature, a natural stone brand who breathes life into unseen possibilities through the command of exclusive materials, and Secrets of the Universe, known for provocative and probing installations and exhibitions, Souvenirs of a Forgotten Past highlights original work by nine designers and artists, all of whom explore a personal journey of inquisition and struggle between two or more cultures, highlighting the versatility of the cultural diaspora as manifested through the elegance and resourcefulness of natural stone.
Crafting personal and beguiling souvenirs extracted from memory and experience, SolidNature and Secrets of the Universe illuminates the unpretentious allure of stone to navigate themes of identity and societal recollection in Souvenirs of a Forgotten Past. At its final stop on the Luminaire tour at Luminaire Los Angeles, guests will engage in a parting opportunity to discover various social landscapes and celebrate cultural exchange with works that unveil evolving relationships between ethnicities as with Natou Fall’s “Souvenirs a Nous: Mother and Child” or explore narratives of immigration with poignant artefacts like Chris Adamick’s “Lenticular Vessel” while paying tribute to ancestral heritage and cultural preservation with works like “A Guardian Monster” from Bureau Spectacular (Jimenez Lai), “Cloud Vase” from Present Forms (Stephanie Lin), and “The Qalamdan” by Saba Yazdjerdi. While all of these inspiring and affective works imagine the connection between cultures as enriched by contrasts and similarities, at times nostalgic and melodic and at other times contentious and troubled, each piece discovers its own individuality in personal history it weaves, exclusive to the artist and their background in a juxtaposition of the classic and the contemporary, tradition and the avant-garde.
The last chance to encounter Souvenirs of a Forgotten Past at Luminaire Los Angeles coincides with the renowned Frieze Art Fair, when thousand descend on the city to absorb the enlightening visual allure and thought-provoking concepts that permeate our contemporary climate. A rich tapestry of global heritage, creativity, and arrested reflection flavors Souvenirs of a Forgotten Past as an exhibition not to be missed, and the stone featured in the event was sourced from across the globe, echoing the diverse and resonant histories of the stories they tell. Its final stop at Luminaire on February 20th offers guests an exclusive opportunity to view the exhibit and engage in conversations regarding its broader impact and creative origins over cocktails and hors d’oeuvres alongside a backdrop of the best in modern and contemporary design as featured in Luminaire’s Los Angeles showroom. While we feel dismay when extraordinary encounters come to an end, we find joy in the many lives this discerning exhibition has touched during its Luminaire travels and look forward to honoring its dazzling influence on the conversations that challenge contemporary culture, inspiring and unique.
February 2025
