Muller Van Severen
Belgium — b. 1978/1979
Biography
Photographer Fien Muller (1978) and sculptor Hannes Van Severen (1979) did not make their debut as designer duo until 2011. However, what they realised in that short period of time makes their current strong position unique. Their first collection of furniture immediately met with great approval. Domestic and foreign design experts reacted surprised and their furniture installations were applauded by the international specialist press. They won prestigious awards and their work was exhibited in renowned galleries and museums in Belgium, London, Berlin, Milan, Copenhagen, New York and Paris. Including a group show at the Galerie kreo « contrast control » in 2014...
Photographer Fien Muller (1978) and sculptor Hannes Van Severen (1979) did not make their debut as designer duo until 2011. However, what they realised in that short period of time makes their current strong position unique. Their first collection of furniture immediately met with great approval. Domestic and foreign design experts reacted surprised and their furniture installations were applauded by the international specialist press. They won prestigious awards and their work was exhibited in renowned galleries and museums in Belgium, London, Berlin, Milan, Copenhagen, New York and Paris. Including a group show at the Galerie kreo « contrast control » in 2014.
The extremely positive response to their oeuvre is no doubt owing to its intrinsic qualities. The duo Muller van Severen explores the boundaries between art and design in a contemporary and innovative way and adopts an inventive, imaginative approach to functionality. Both designers are constantly looking for new ways to make furniture more interesting from a sculptural point of view, without losing track of its functionality. They succeed wonderfully in adding a very personal, fresh new touch to major historical art and design movements. Their design method has an intuitive, spontaneous, authentic and sincere feel about it. The liveliness and directness of their work appeals to both trade specialists and the regular public.
Their work is characterised by an exciting tension between austerity and extravagance, lightness and heaviness, severity and playfulness, delicacy and sturdiness.
Their fascination for materials, their sense of color and proportions, their affinity with architectural space and their focus on the sculptural form all help create a fascinating universe. They eagerly follow their own path and experiment with new ways of using furniture, averse to fashions and trends, thus designing unique functional landscapes for living, permeated by poetry, imagination and aesthetics.
Photo credits: © Mirjam Devriendt