Incollect Magazine - Issue 12

Incollect Magazine 19 A ustralian designer Trent Jansen likes to show his work at museums and galleries internationally for global exposure and to connect with a wider audience outside the Australian continent. Lately, he has been participating in design fairs and in December 2024, with help from cultural grants from the Australian government, the 42-year-old designer and two Australian Indigenous designer colleagues collaborated on a booth for Design Miami. “Australia has little appetite for collectible design — there are maybe 10 or 15 people who might consider buying this kind of design. We decided it was critical to promote our work overseas.” The budget was so tight the three of them shared an Airbnb and cooked their meals each night to save money. “Overruns on shipping costs,” Jansen explains. Their gamble paid off because veteran design dealers Lewis and Sherri Wexler from Wexler Gallery in Philadelphia and the New York Design Center stopped by the booth to talk to Jansen. They returned the following day for a further chat, and the next day, and by the end of the fair they asked to represent Jansen, becoming his first gallery representation in the United States. “When we saw Trent Jansen’s work at Design Miami we were completely enchanted,” says Lewis Wexler. “The work is beautifully designed and crafted at the highest skill level. But what really intrigued us was the concept behind the work. Trent is an exquisite designer, but his use of historical references and the environment of the Australian outback as direct Top left: The Manta Pilti/Dry Sand Cabinet designed by Trent Jansen with Indigenous designer Tanya Singer. The design of the cabinet, with its fissurelike opening and sculptural facets, was inspired by an image of the cracked, parched earth in Central Australia, the effect of climate change on an already hot, dry climate. Top right: The sculptural profile of the Manta Pilti/Dry Sand Cabinet. Each facet is meticulously hand- sanded and hand-assembled, representing hundreds of hours of work. Bottom left: Aboriginal master carver Errol Evans, Indigenous designer Tanya Singer, and designer Trent Jansen collaborated on the design and crafting of the Manta Pilti cabinet. Bottom right: The Manta Pilti/Dry Sand Low Chair, shown in American hard maple and oiled American walnut, also available in cherry. A standard height version of the chair is also available. All photos © Fiona Susanto