Introduction to “The Industrial Essence of Kranen/Gille”

solo exhibition at “Het Noordbrabants Museum”, ’s-Hertogenbosch, commemmorating the first 10 years of our collaboration

by Joris Westerink, Curator

The designers Jos Kranen (Tegelen, the Netherlands, 1977) and Johannes Gille (Marburg, Germany, 1979) graduated from Design Academy Eindhoven in 2004. They have been working together since 2007 as a designer duo under the name Kranen/Gille and they presented themselves for the first time during Salone Del Mobile in the Italian capital of design, Milan. Things developed fast after this: presentations at art and design fairs soon followed, articles appeared in trendsetting magazines and design brands began producing their designs.

Kranen/Gille’s designs stand out because of their industrial essence. An important source of inspiration for the duo are heavy industrial constructions like oil rigs, submarines, old mines and shipyards. Impressive constructions, never intended to be beautiful but to withstands powerful forces. Kranen/Gille plays with the visual language of these constructions. Nature also plays a role. In the Plant series, Kranen/Gille have metal ‘branches’ grow into all sorts of everyday objects.

Het Noorbrabants Museum is marking the tenth anniversary of Kranen/Gille with this first solo exhibition of high points and developments. Kranen/Gille designed the exhibition themselves and created work specially for this occasion. Kranen/Gille’s designs are divided into five worlds for this exhibition, each world with its own character.