We're pleased to launch the first in a series of collaborations with local creatives that invite a fresh look at the work of our artists. ⁠

We worked recently with photographer Pier Carthew and stylist Cristina Guerrero on this special catalogue, instigated just before Melbourne's stage 4 lockdown in early August. Manon's pieces were handed to Pier and Cristina - who share space with Nord, in an old pool hall in Brunswick - to interpret as they wished. The delights of the Nord showroom acted as backdrop; a stunning array of modern furniture and objects selected by owner Jarrad Turner. We're all pleased to be able to finally share this with you. ⁠

Many of these early works were shown at Funaki in Manon's exhibitions 'Wash and stay for a while' (1999), '2nd Floor' (2000) and 'Re:turn' (2004). These first Australian exhibitions revealed an artist of intellectual and conceptual depth, with a formidable handle on her materials and techniques, from embroidery to porcelain casting to silversmithing. The pieces explored the nature of the objects we use every day; their histories, functions, the space they inhabit and their relationships to us. Manon said in 1999 "’I consider unspectacular things very meaningful. Objects represent a certain emotional value, which their neutral appearance often does not show. Through my way of working I do not intend to change these objects, I do not really want to design, but I want to express the visible aspects of this emotional value which each object contains within itself.”

Manon van Kouswijk: some early and recent works