Gidon Bing's focus on design simplicity and purpose is in part influenced by his exposure to the cultural and intellectual milieu of the European avant-garde via his family and architect grandfather, Henry Kulka. Many of these ideas have become the foundation for the conception of ‘modernism’. The idea of – ‘ornament as crime’ – not so much a call to negate but rather to strip away superficial ornamentation to reveal form, space and materials.

Though university-educated, much of Bing’s past and ongoing learning derive from apprentice-like environments, less rarified than the academy. Bing’s mentoring and exposure to practitioners and proponents of various modernist movements have been particularly formative. Aspects of his work are also informed by a fascination with the relationship between biological asymmetry and the artefact, influenced in part by an academic background in Archaeology/primitivism.

Gidon’s influences range from avant garde and European Modernism, Japanese architecture and a fascination with archaeology and the primitive artefact. Bing has traveled extensively, in Central Europe and Asia to learn the arts of mould-making, carving, ceramics, carpentry and print making. His approach to learning emulates the master-pupil relationships of a past era, when skills were attained by watching the masters’ hands.

Gidon Bing’s work is sold and collected worldwide and has featured in Selfridges of London, Milan's Salone del Mobile, Lane Crawford in Hong Kong and a small selection of private galleries.

We are proud to introduce the designer behind the recent update to the interior architecture of our gallery space, Gidon Bing.

Interview by Phoebe Houston Lowe

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