Harry Nuriev Celebrates 10 Years of Crosby Studios at Design Miami/Paris
Multidisciplinary artist, designer, and architect Harry Nuriev celebrates 10 years of his Crosby Studio with a Carte Blanche project at Le Mobilier National for the first edition of Design Miami/Paris.
Harry Nuriev is one of his generation’s design innovators. His objects, furniture, and installations are lessons in experimentation—or “transformism,” as he calls it. Working between New York City and Paris, his travels and constant state of movement allow him to find new perspectives in the dichotomy between old and new—and have caught the eye of Rem Koolhaas and brands like Nike, Balenciaga, and Valentino.
In the short time since launching his critically acclaimed Crosby Studios, the Russian artist and designer has been the subject of a museum solo exhibition at Dallas Contemporary; he’s become a critical darling on the pages of Vogue and Architectural Digest; and he’s presented immersive environments at Design Miami and Basel." This year, he debuted in Paris.
On the eve of the 10th anniversary of Crosby Studios, Nuriev reflects upon his most recent installation, Royal Houses, as part of Carte Blanche at Le Mobilier National during this fall’s inaugural Design Miami/Paris, and on his decade-long body of work.
L’OFFICIEL: What informed your aesthetic as it was developing?
HARRY NURIEV: I think cinema has meant a lot. It was the medium that confronted me with my first experiences with contemporary art. I liked dark movies. For example, the films of Lars Von Trier—including Breaking the Waves, which I saw when I was 10, which was not necessarily the appropriate age. Books taught me a lot, too, and “David” by Michelangelo struck me.
L’O: Were you interested in great Russian filmmakers like Andrei Tarkovsky or Sergei Eisenstein?
HN: They go beyond cinema. It’s total art, like [Stanley] Kubrick’s films. They have a strong conceptual dimension. You can break down their films scene by scene and study the composition of the shots and the colors. To be honest, I haven’t seen so many Tarkovsky films, but I understand the reference.
L’O: In hindsight, what were the most enlightening steps in your educational journey?
HN: The practice of art has brought me the most. It fully participates in the student experience. I started designing my professional alphabet in New York, and it decanted me, so to speak, in every possible way at the creative level. I have always aspired to design everything possible: kitchens, door handles. It’s not that I didn’t want to use other pre-existing creations, but I already had so much creative energy in me that I wanted to confront everything and express it fully.
L’O: You have traveled a lot. Has it influenced your work?
HN: My travels were choices. I have always needed, organically, to be on the move. I do not like settling into a daily, personal, creative routine. Moving motivates me to always do something new. As soon as it’s too “new” I return to something more “old.” As you say in French, I like “hijacking” things, giving them another identity while keeping their personality. I call it “transformism.”
L’O: What distinguishes this concept from upcycling?
HN: Upcycling is a technique without philosophy behind it, even if it comes from a generous approach. Transformism includes upcycling, but it’s not a question of giving new life to scrap, but instead taking risks, seizing something that exists, and trying to transform it in its function to offer it eternal life. If you look at nature, trees and leaves have a role even after drying out.
L’O: How would you describe your work and that of Crosby Studios?
HN: This is a creative workshop that is celebrating its 10th anniversary, offering 360-degree services. We work with both robust global companies and small emerging structures to provide them with solutions. I lead artistic projects on my side.
“Mistakes are a healthy step in creative work.”
L’O: What excited you the most about this collaboration with Le Mobilier National [a historic French agency that preserves craft and design, as well as furniture and objects in state residences]?
HN: I knew that this institution is extraordinary: it protects heritage while looking to the future, highlighting the new expressions of French design. No other country has this approach. The beauty of the French vision, over the centuries, despite turbulent times, is its ability to invent visual cultures. I am delighted that the Mobilier National thought my approach was relevant and harmonious.
L’O: The tapestries that inspired your work, “Maisons Royales Gazebo,” date back to Louis XIV’s reign. How did this installation come together?
HN: I had the privilege of visiting the archives. I studied hundreds of tapestries with a desire to express them in a contemporary way. I chose two “Royal Houses,” dating from the 17th century, because they depicted nature. I worked with Pierre Frey on the fabrics. I was fascinated for a long time by the work on the tapestry, and obviously, we could not work with period fabrics. Frey is an exceptional craftsman and was the right person to partner with on this project.
L’O: Others describe your style as minimalist. Do you agree?
HN: I will never define myself as a minimalist. Even if it’s a style I love, I do not like adding details if they are unnecessary. I do not use materials only with an aesthetic aim.
L’O: How do you integrate your DNA with another brand when collaborating on a project?
HN: I have always been attracted to and inspired by fashion. I admire the incredible work it requires. When I finally understood this universe better, I felt confident working on it. When a brand approaches me, I speak with the creative director. The dialogue we establish is decisive. Whether it’s my studio or my work with the fashion world, we drink from the same source. There are many similarities even though we cater to very different needs. We don’t compete, but we like to work together because we recognize and respect each other in our approaches.
L’O: Do you dress a silhouette like we decorate a space?
HN: I like to say that I dress spaces. Some designers would also say that they approach silhouettes from an architectural point of view.
L’O: What would you hang in a museum dedicated to your work?
HN: All the steps that led to the finished work: the back kitchen, the research—a moment that I love—but also showing the failures, the false leads... Mistakes are a healthy step in creative work.
