1X1 Art Gallery : Exhibition

In the thicket, where the birds sing...

1X1 announces the launch of a new initiative, 1X1 DESIGN, exhibiting works that occupy the space between contemporary design, traditional craft techniques and creative innovation.

In an exceptional collaboration between artists and jewelers, designer Sheraz Faisal worked with 18 Contemporary artists from Pakistan and one of Dubai’s foremost Jewelry brands, Aliel to create this amazing selection of intimate objects that form the Vasl collection.

The Aliel initiative

when fine jewellery and artists meet

This initiative promises to be a unique collaboration between artists, jewellery designers, jewellery manufacturers, art gallerists and a jeweller, and we are proud to be part of it. The crafting of fine jewellery is an art form and jewellery is often termed “wearable art”, so this union of minds is particularly appropriate.

From time immemorial, during the earliest periods of Egyptian civilisation and the Roman and Ottoman eras, the prize most coveted by a conqueror has been precious stones and fine jewellery. The allure of fine jewellery is timeless. It is not just a form of adornment – people acquire fine jewellery because it gives them a sense of worth and pride, it has lasting value, and it connects people across generations, as heirlooms are passed down through families.

- Mohammad Ali

The Designer

“In the VASL collection, I focused not only on legacies of patterns and motifs, but on the conceptual framework of aesthetics. The use of line, dots or curves is studied to delineate forms and shapes. These begin to assemble themselves in surprising ways.

The collection is wide-ranging, and eclectic. It does not follow predetermined paths, it wanders from calligraphy in old manuscripts with miniature paintings, to textiles, and architectural memories embedded in crumbling stones and flora and fauna around me. I look at contemporary practitioners in the arts and draw inspiration from quirky details in their vocabulary. These are living elements in our surroundings and I allow myself the freedom to avoid the word 'style'. Thus in a certain way my philosophy in design moves back and forth from Mughal history to its expression in modern day living. It makes no distinction between the barriers of art and design, but lives happily with the notion of 'Noor' or Light, which is pure and originates in the divine Maker.”

- Sheraz Faisal

The Artists