Although it feels like the New York design scene has been celebrating for longer, the official start of the annual NYCxDesign celebration was May 18. To kick things off, Chelsea art and design gallery Tuleste Factory opened its doors for an afterparty to host its largest-ever exhibition, Harmonious Proportions. Founded by sisters Celeste and Satu Greenberg in 2018, Tuleste Factory represents an impressive roster of designers and makers who deliver fun and flare through a mixed bag of mediums, both physical and digital. The evening buzzed with merriment as the influx of global creatives came together around a DJ set by curator and musician, Celeste Greenberg.

AN Interior sat down with the creative duo to discuss the exhibition, the talent represented within it, and how its celebration contributes to the mission of the gallery.

Sophie Aliece Hollis: The opening of Harmonious Proportions coincides with NYCXDesign’s official launch. How does this momentous week of creativity influence the new exhibition?

Tuleste Factory: We were very honored to be able to host the official opening afterparty for NYCxDesign this year. As a reflection of this, we wanted to open the doors wide for this exhibition and activate all the spaces we have, including both our gallery space and outdoor terrace, as well as Celeste’s personal loft upstairs. This gave us greater capacity to work with our incredible roster of artists and designers to execute some really special installations demonstrating diverse new work.

SAH: Why Harmonious Proportions? How does this title encapsulate the work presented?

TF: Harmonious Proportions explores the ideas of balance, symmetry, and form. Our gallery represents both designers and artists, so we wanted to celebrate artistic diversity as well as focus on elements that link art and design to bring them together. We have really enjoyed exploring the work through this lens.

SAH: Harmonious Proportions incorporates 23 artists and designers. Has Tuleste Factory ever put on such a large show? What does it mean to you all as gallery owners to display all of this work together?

TF: This is our largest exhibition to date. It has been an exciting challenge for us as a gallery to put on a group show of this size that includes so many tremendous talents. It has felt like a real milestone and an immense privilege to be at the point where we can show such a wide and varied collection of art and design.

SAH: You represent a number of artists experimenting with the intersection of digital and physical mediums. How does that connection manifest in Harmonious Proportions? How does this work align with the overall ambitions of the gallery?

TF: Lyorra Pissaro with the Allaux Brothers in collaboration with Quincy Ellis of Facture are showing two new works. The pieces, which are composed of projected images and resin frames, combine new technology with traditional techniques to explore the fluctuating nature of internal and external landscapes. We also have a special curation and immersive space called EXIT Room #002: Dalmatian Blue by spatial designer and artist Ceren Arslan who known for her work with Kelly Wearstler and EXIT. The name references a darker shade of porsche blue. This Dalmatian blue creates a handsome setting for a Dalmatian pattern. Curated with select designed objects, the room mimics a typical apartment setting in an immersive, monochromatic format. Flat upon first sight, the room receives its dimension as the visitors enter and become part of the work. As a gallery, we are dedicated to exploring and showcasing new concepts in contemporary design and art and the digital sphere is an important part of that.

SAH: Tuleste Factory’s previous exhibitions make use of bold, monochromaticity as a method for unifying and displaying design. What inspires this method and how do you arrive at the color choices? Will we see this in Harmonious Proportions?

TF: The color isn’t something we really choose as much as something we observe and feel, then want to celebrate. As stated in the question, we’ve enjoyed using this method for our exhibitions because it is bold and unifying. In Harmonious Proportions, you find a lot of unexpected surprises and a natural evolution from our previous monochromatic moments. This show is more about flow and putting different worlds together to create unity, which is something we all need. It was a pleasantly fun challenge to create harmony amongst so many artists working in such different mediums.