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Karim Rashid Exhibition (USA)
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Gary Tatinsian Art Gallery 
Karim Rashid is a leading figure in the fields of product and interior design, fashion, furniture, lighting and art. Born in Cairo, half Egyptian, half English, and raised in Canada, Karim now practices in New York. He is best known for bringing his minimalist, high design aesthetic to a mass audience. Designing for an impressive array of clients from Umbra to Prada, Miyake to Method, Karim is radically changing the aesthetics of consumer product design, and the very nature of the consumer culture.
To date he has had over 2000 objects put into production. Karim was awarded a Honorary Doctorate of Fine Arts from the Corcoran College of Art & Design in D.C.
Other awards include the 2004 A.D. Dunton Alumni Award of Distinction from his alma mater, 2003, 2002 ID Magazine Annual Design Review Best of Category, 2003 Bon Apetit designer of the Year, 2003 best Retail Store in the USA, 2002 Industrial Design Excellence Awards, 2001 Canadian Design Hero Award.
His work is in the permanent collections of 14 Museums worldwide and he exhibits art in various galleries. Karim was an associate Professor of Industrial Design for 10 years and is now a frequent guest lecturer at universities and conferences globally. Karim has published two monographs titled 'I Want to Change the World'(Rizzoli, 2001) and 'Evolution' (Universe, 2004) as well as a new portfolio book published by Chronicle books (2004), and 'Digipop' a digital exploration of computer graphics (Taschen 2005).
He edited the International Design Yearbook 18 for Calmann and King 2003 and released two CD's available on Seattle boutique label, Neverstop. Karim will soon be seen on the USA networks latest reality television show, Made in the USA.
Awards
2005 IDSA Industrial Design Excellence Award Silver: Method 3X Laundry Detergent Bronze: Echo by Davidoff
2005 New York Section Illuminating Engineering Society Award of Excellence for Semiramis Hotel
2005 I.D. Magazine Annual Design Review Honorable Mention Furniture: Kurl Shelf by Zeritalia
2004 I.D. Magazine's Annual Design Review Best of Category: Copco Barware
2003 Good Design Award: Kurve Chair, for Neinkamper
2003 Esquire Magazine's Best New Restaurant Design
2003 I.D. Magazine Annual Design Review Design Distinction Packaging: Issey Miyake, Issey In Your Pocket Design Distinction: Method Home Dish Soap
Design concept
"What I am trying to do is use furniture as a medium to talk a little more evanescently about the qualities of the digital age." Karim Rashid
Karim Rashid believes in a holistic approach to design, in which the sum of the parts can be more beautiful than the parts themselves. On a more mundane level, well-designed objects can add beauty and reflect the lives of those who use them.
Trained as a designer in Ottowa and Milan under the tutelage of Ettore Sottsass and Gaetano Pesce, Rashid's soft and fluid biomorphic forms convey his desire to actualize the contemporary zeitgeist of virtual reality and underground music culture. This former DJ stretches the limits of modern materials such as plastics, foams, and synthetic fabrics to form his design vision for such diverse companies as Idee in Tokyo, Umbra, and Nambe. His design for a wastebasket for Umbra is one of the most successful industrial products of recent years and it inspired Rashid's "Oh Chair," which has equal global appeal.
For Rashid, there is no distinction between high and low design; he is equally at ease designing for mass-production companies as he is designing packaging and products for the Japanese fashion innovator Issey Miyake. In the end, according to Rashid, the goal of his designs is always the same: to provide a quality experience to the users of the objects.
Find out more at Karim Rashid's homepage.
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