Paris-based designer LS Gomma has debuted a striking new exhibition, “Heavy Reticello,” coinciding with the opening of the Venice Architecture Biennale. Hosted by Max Radford Gallery of London, the exhibition transforms the Palazzo Contarini della Porta di Ferro into a tactile landscape of rubber-covered furnishings and lighting pieces—each blending innovation with historical Venetian artistry.
Inspired by reticello—a lattice pattern traditionally found in Venetian lace and Murano glass—LS Gomma reinterprets this motif using industrial materials. His distinctive approach combines metal mesh forms coated in rubber, creating sculptural works that are both robust and intricately patterned.
“The connection between LS Gomma’s practice and the heritage of Murano glassworks made this show feel like a natural fit,” noted gallery director Max Radford.
A Fusion of Craft and Material Language
The collection includes chairs, benches, and lighting pieces, all hand-crafted in the designer’s Paris studio. Each object echoes the delicate geometry of reticello lacework while embracing a heavy, tactile quality. This inversion—from lightness to weight, from fragility to durability—embodies Gomma’s ethos of experimentation and material transformation.
The Max Radford Gallery describes the installation as “both homage and evolution,” referencing the delicate complexity of traditional Venetian craft while pushing its interpretation into bold new territory. “The works suggest a dense, physical version of what was once an ethereal craft,” the gallery explained.
Exhibition and Availability
“Heavy Reticello” ran through May 18 as part of the Venice Biennale’s satellite programming. Now concluded, the featured furniture is available for purchase exclusively through Max Radford Gallery, with pricing provided upon request.