House of Waris at Istanbul ’74
A grand exhibition of jewelry by Waris Ahluwalia
Currently showing at the Istanbul ’74 art space in the city’s Karaköy neighborhood, Waris Ahluwalia presents a selection of jewelry from his House of Waris collection. Exhibiting both new pieces and a curated sampling of past work, Ahluwalia’s international aesthetic jibes with the greater narrative of the ongoing Istanbul Design Biennial. Large glass cloches house the individual pieces, which sit inside a 150-year-old building in the arts district.
For the presentation, Ahluwalia relied on Istanbul’s Autoban Studio, which has become the area’s must-watch design group in recent years. The team redesigned the space to create an atmosphere befitting the House of Waris collection and the ad hoc jewelry house. A custom wallpaper acts as backdrop to the work with an array of exotic motifs that complemented the designer’s far-reaching influences. In all, the pieces represent the wisdom of artisans hailing from Jaipur, Rome, Bangkok and even Ahluwalia’s native NYC.
Ahluwalia, a polymath and icon of personal style, seems untiring in his continued efforts for House of Waris. Working with craftsmen from raw material to finished product, the jeweler pulls from organic and elemental influences for the precious creations. Setting the tone for the show was a poem on love by Bengali renaissance man Rabindranath Tagore.
House of Waris is on view at Istanbul ’74 through 9 November 2012.
