Phillips, It's Not Just About Watches and Electronics

May 29, 2023

What is the first thought that enters your mind when you hear about Phillips? Watches, electronics, and innovations? Well, I just recently found out that Phillips isn't just about all that stuff, because it's also an auction house for art and design.

I visited the cultural district last weekend, which I shared in my Wednesday Walk, and I found a newly opened building named Phillips. Because this structure was still being built when I last visited the neighborhood, I assumed it was newly opened. It comprises three floors, with its art gallery located on the first floor.

The Imperial Patek Phillipe was having a sale that day, which ended on the 23rd of this month. I only looked around the art gallery on the first floor because I have no intention of acquiring any of its watches (I was genuinely reluctant to visit the auction rooms for some reason).

The displayed artworks and designs are curated similarly to those in the M+ Museum, located adjacent to it. So I assumed this exhibition building was another extension of M+ under Phillips, as some artworks from M+ special art exhibitions are also found in Phillips.

There were a few pieces of furniture in the gallery because Phillips is an auction house for designs, and I found this chair adorable. It is covered with Elmo stuffed toys and is called the Monster Chair. Do you still remember the old children's TV show Sesame Street? If yes, then you know Elmo, one of the Muppet characters in the show.

There were wooden chairs as well, and this armchair resembles a flower on a poker card, but it is one of the fancy designs of Ron Arad, a famous artist and architectural designer.

Most of the paintings on display are acrylic, fabric collage, and oil paint on canvas. But the artworks that caught my interest were the cute ones, as if painted by very young artists. Some were like anime characters. I also spotted one inspired by Snoopy.

And if you are familiar with KAWS characters, you'll recognize the contemporary art gray statue in the photo above. It is a creation of Brian Donelly also called Kaws. His artworks are actually quite popular, and I've been seeing them in art exhibitions and online videos. The purple-haired girl is a Misaki acrylic painting mounted on a wood panel inspired by an anime character.

Meanwhile, this exhibition seems to be for the LGBTQ community. Those fine art pigment prints show prints of characters of the same gender who appear to have relationships. It was probably included to raise awareness about this fast-growing LGBTQ community.

It was just a small art gallery room but the displayed artworks and designs are unique that gave me satisfaction and enjoyed my afternoon in the gallery. There were show rooms in the upper floors for watches and other Phillips items on auction sale. But the place seems exclusive for retailers and buyers only, so I didn't bother checking them.

That's all for today's blog. Thanks for stopping by.

(All photos are mine)

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