Hubert Le Gall sculpts stories into his functional art

He refuses to call himself a designer. And he wouldn’t want to be pigeon-holed as an artist either, for he “doesn’t paint” anymore. Hubert Le Gall may have started out drawing portraits, but the self-taught artist now dedicates his time designing and sculpting decorative art pieces.

Fanciful displays yet functional furniture, there are the rabbit-eared plush-toy-like armchairs befitting for Hugh Hefner; the lacquered metal console table held together by Pinocchio’s emancipated overgrown nose; and the wooden chest of drawers secreted by a garden of nickeled bronze flowers.

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Bent on making objects in extremely small series of three or 99, the works of Hubert Le Gall, who has designed for luxury brands such as Dior and Ruinart, are not only sold in design stores or showcased at design fairs, but also exhibited in art galleries and museums, includuing the Musée du Luxembourg. This cements his status as a storytelling artist-designer. Inspired by other artists like Andy Warhol and Jean-Pierre Raynaud, he often revisits classic creations to add his signature bendy shapes and quirky poetry.

The 57-year-old Parisian’s first solo show in Asia, Hubert Le Gall: Welcome To My World, takes place in Mazel Galerie at Pacific Plaza Singapore from January 12 to March 25, 2018. About 65 of his works will be on display at the Singapore exhibition, including his famous flower tables (inspired by Warhol’s daisies).

Hubert Le Gall has stopped producing these limited-edition flower tables, with variants called Anthemis and Summer. But at the request of Kevin Troyano Cuturi, the owner of Mazel Galerie Singapore, he has created an exclusive version for the Singapore show. He chose orchids, of course.

I am drawn to…originality above all!

The biggest difference between art and decoration is…the story – every art piece has a story behind it. That’s why I like to create functional art.

My favourite game as a child was…Lego.

The animal I like the most is…the rabbit because they are soft and have big ears like mine!

I love Singapore for its…people. People here are very amicable.

The person I admire most is…not a specific person, but scientists in general.

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For abstract stories, filled with geometry and strong tones told by Hubert Le Gall, click on the images below.