Erosions Exhibition
for Merida Studio | 2024 | Curation, Graphic Design, Project Management, Art Direction
Curating an exhibition that welcomed legacy clients into a new understanding of Merida Studio’s textiles as works of art.
Erosions was the opening exhibition for Merida Studio’s newly transformed Boston Gallery, conceived as both a debut and a proof point. The challenge was to create a show that felt immediately inviting—drawing in interior designers and architects—while quietly shifting their perception of the work from product to art. Through a restrained, monochromatic curation and a theme centered on transformation, materiality, and time, the exhibition created a calm, non-intimidating space that encouraged visitors to slow down, look closer, and engage more deeply. The result was increased foot traffic, stronger conversations around value and artistry, and a gallery experience that reinforced the studio’s broader brand evolution.
A restrained, monochromatic curation used material, texture, and theme to create an inviting, non-intimidating environment that encouraged deeper looking.
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Problem
The Boston Gallery had just undergone a major transformation, and its opening exhibition needed to do more than fill the walls — it needed to reframe perception. The challenge was to create a show that would intrigue passersby, draw interior designers and architects inside, and gently shift how they understood Merida Studio’s textiles: not as products, but as works of art. The exhibition also needed to signal that this space — and the brand behind it — had evolved, without alienating a traditionally minded New England audience.
The exhibition was curated entirely from Artist’s Proofs already in the studio’s collection, with no dedicated budget for new works or production. The small physical footprint of the gallery limited the number of large pieces that could be shown, requiring careful restraint and focus. Any additional elements — such as sculptural objects or promotional materials — had to be secured through consignment or collaboration rather than purchase, making intentional partnerships with like-minded artists essential to the project’s success.
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Solution
By committing to a monochromatic palette of warm browns and neutrals, the exhibition stripped away the immediate distraction of color and redirected attention to material, texture, and technique. The theme of erosion — destruction as a form of creation — connected the artist’s recurring motifs across multiple series while quietly echoing the gallery’s own transformation. Layouts were carefully tested through digital mockups to create visual rhythm and focus within the small space, while the inclusion of sculptural works made from renewable, eroding materials reinforced the exhibition’s conceptual framework and positioned the textiles firmly within an art context.
The project was deeply collaborative, requiring coordination across galleries, artists, and partners. I worked closely with the New York Gallery manager and the workshop team to manage consignment logistics and shipping, and partnered with Studio Eidola to include sculptural works that aligned conceptually with the exhibition. I also art directed the promotional photoshoot, collaborating with photographer Patrick Kolts — he brought technical expertise in lighting and camera execution, while I guided mood, composition, and atmosphere. Together, we created images that felt like a “new dawn,” with forms emerging from shadow to echo themes of renewal, transformation, and natural cycles.
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Results
Erosions successfully debuted the Boston Gallery as a contemplative, art-forward space, increasing foot traffic and sparking deeper conversations around materiality, value, and artistic intent. Visitors lingered longer, asked more questions, and engaged with the work beyond surface aesthetics. While the exhibition’s impact is intertwined with the gallery’s broader transformation, it functioned as a clear signal of Merida Studio’s evolving identity—one that invites curiosity, rewards attention, and positions textiles as both functional and deeply expressive.
The Boston Gallery's inaugural exhibition successfully launched the new space, reaffirmed the power of spatial brand expression, and invited visitors into a new understanding of Merida Studio's work.