Raul De Lara Unveils“The Secret Lives Of Objects” At Hermès Madison Avenue

(MENAFN- USA Art News) Sculptor Raul De Lara has launched a new window installation,“The Secret Lives of Objects,” at Hermès's Maison Madison in New York. The display features anthropomorphic carvings that reimagine household items as“silent roommates.”

De Lara, who is based in New York, primarily works with wood. His interest in the medium was sparked early in life, watching his father, an architect in Mexico, practice woodcarving. The artist and his family relocated to Texas when De Lara was 12 years old. He continues his father's legacy by creating large-scale, surreal sculptures that explore the meaning of home and combine Mexican and American woodworking traditions.

This is De Lara's second commission for Hermès storefronts. His first installation was at the luxury house's Aspen outpost in 2023, where his signature rocking cactus sculpture and wooden chairs interacted with Hermès saddles and throws.

For the Madison Avenue display, De Lara drew inspiration from his own homes in New York, Austin, and Mexico. He modeled the storefront scene after an“everyday New York apartment.” The artist said that all three homes offered insights into the objects people surround themselves with, noting:“My dad built the home where I grew up in Mexico. Not being able to go back for most of my life turned it into a memory, a fantasy in its own right.” After almost 20 years, he revisited the home and observed that the trees had grown with him, which informed his decision to continue working with human-scale plants in the window display.

De Lara also incorporated specific Hermès materials and products into his fabric-like carvings. He cites Bernini as an inspiration for his ability to manipulate marble. For this installation, he playfully combined different wood species with Hermès materials. An example includes a leather Bolide bag appearing to sink into a soft ottoman hand-carved from solid walnut. Another features a pair of suede shoes with wooden socks standing upright. He intentionally placed a delicate porcelain cup and saucer next to a heavy bronze vase to create“material friction.”

Inspired by his family's background in casino decoration, interior design, architecture, and engineering, De Lara approaches storytelling through interior spaces. He reflected on watching artisans in Mexico carve saints from branches and wondering when the“saint enters the wood.” He considers houseplants, furniture, and prized possessions as“silent roommates” that witness daily life. For this installation, these items are the central characters. De Lara said he aimed to“imbue my materials with a spark of life” and created animated sculptures that make Hermès products feel like“companions for our journey.”

Since his 2023 commission, De Lara has collaborated with more Hermès team members, noting the company's commitment to quality. He stated that the partnership has allowed him to expand his studio operations, including working with a foundry to cast wood pieces in bronze, opening new avenues for indoor and outdoor work.

Among his inspirations for the current window display, De Lara cited his favorite tree in Central Park, from which he collected six leaves to inform the large wooden leaves in the Hermès display, using various wood species to capture autumn colors. He was also inspired by bronze sculptures and the scattered patina on copper architectural elements throughout the park, revealing that the wooden-looking vase in the window is cast from solid bronze. He added that he is generally inspired by the“space that exists between one material and the next” and the visual rhythm of New York's music scene. He still retains a curiosity for looking into people's windows after five years in New York, aiming to evoke a similar sense of discovery in his installation.

We previously reported:

Chicago artist Isaiah Lee explores childhood imagination and the complexities of faith and identity in his dollhouse-inspired paintings.

Source: Cultured Magazine

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