Internationally recognized Latvian designer German Ermićs’ exhibition “Floating” attracts almost 10,000 visitors in Latvia

From April 13 to May 28 of this year, the first personal exhibition of internationally recognized Latvian designer Germanas Ermičs in Latvia “Floating” was on view at the Museum of Decorative Arts and Design (DMDM). 9,373 guests viewed the exhibition in the museum during its duration, DMDM ​​representative Laura Brokāne informs portal “Delfi”.

German Ermich’s exhibition “Floating” has received recognition both in the media and among the audience, becoming a finalist in the spring voting of the Latvian public media annual award “Kilograms kulturas 2023” in the “Visual art” category. Published by the prestigious British lifestyle magazine “Wallpaper*”. exhibition review, Latvian media critics have highly appreciated the author’s refined, in-depth approach to creating works and his ability to introduce a philosophical dimension into the design. Publicist Ieva Melgalve on the Satori portal wrote: “If, every time, sitting in a chair, a person would involuntarily pay attention not only to the tonal transitions of the material of the chair, but also to the tonal transitions in the sky or the shading of the room – this would make everyday activity a practice of conscious perception, even a philosophical gesture…”

On the night of the museum on May 13, 3231 visitors viewed the “Floating” exhibition. For many, the beautiful works of German Ermich were a discovery and a surprise. After visiting the exhibition, museum guests have shared the following comments: “Ermich’s exhibition is pure pleasure. More such exhibitions and artists for us and the world!” and “I haven’t seen anything so simply beautiful in a long time! Thank you!”. German Ermich is pleased that his first solo exhibition took place in his native Riga. The internationally successful designer admits that it was important for him to introduce his creative activity to those interested in Latvian design and that meeting the domestic audience was thrilling.

The exhibition “Floating” collected the most important work of German Ermich since the founding of his studio in 2014, revealing the designer’s creative process and philosophy. By combining design and art techniques in his practice, German Ermić creates bright works that are known and appreciated all over the world. His approach is characterized by a gradual, persistent approach to the final result, striving to give shape to immaterial phenomena, searching for new technological techniques and experimenting with colors and materials.

An essential feature of the author’s handwriting is the painting work with color in glass – the transparent surfaces of his furniture are saturated with flowing tonal transitions. However, color in the works of German Ermich is not just an aesthetic additive – the artist uses it to create form. “Applying color to an object is usually considered one of the final steps in the design process. Instead of simply painting an object, I start my creative process from color, exploring the interaction of color and shape in an object, how color can change the perception of an object and define its shape,” says German Ermich.

Although German Ermić’s ideas have so far been mostly implemented in glass, the designer also works with metal, textiles, stone and other materials. In them, he experiments both with color and form, as well as with innovative technologies, for example, creating an original surface treatment method that highlights the natural veins of the stone, rather than subjecting it to the laws of geometry.

The curator of the exhibition is architect, urbanist and publicist Evelīna Ozola, photographer Filips Šmits and musician Artūrs Liepiņš participated in the creation of the exposition.

German Ermich was born in 1985 in Riga. He learned the basics of design and art in Denmark, later studied at the Eindhoven Design Academy in the Netherlands.

In 2007, he founded the culture, music and fashion magazine “Veto” together with like-minded people in Riga. German Ermich created the design concept of the printed edition and continued the artistic direction of “Veto” until 2018.

Having started his career as a graphic designer, during his studies, German Ermić gradually turned to the creation of three-dimensional objects. Then German’s passion for colors and their possibilities to influence the shape of objects, the surrounding space and the perception of the audience begins. German Ermich graduated from Eindhoven Design Academy in 2011 with the thesis “Isometric Mirrors”, in which he applied his interest in optical illusions. The diploma thesis was published by the international design magazine “Frame”, and at the graduate exhibition he was approached by the influential Milan gallerist Rossana Orlandi, with whom the designer still collaborates.

After accumulating experience in various design offices, in 2014 German Ermich founded a studio in Amsterdam. The very next year, at the Milan design fair, the artist presented the first collection “Shaping Color”, which continued to be developed in the following years. In 2016, “The New York Times Style Magazine” ranked Germana Ermić among the 15 most promising young designers, he entered the finals of the Lamb Design Parade and won his first “Wallpaper*” magazine award.

In 2017, German Ermich’s “Ombré” glass chair debuted at the Milan Design Fair – a modern interpretation of the iconic “Glass Chair” by Japanese designer Shiro Kuramata. This work became a significant turning point in German Ermić’s career – the visually tempting chair traveled to the world’s most important design exhibitions and publications. Influential designers Stefan Sagmeister and Jessica Walsh ranked the Ombré chair among the most beautiful things in the world. The “Ombré” glass chair is also included in the collection of the Museum of Decorative Arts and Design and can be seen in the permanent exhibition “Design Process”.

German Ermich has created interior and architectural works, such as the interior of a subway station in Seoul, South Korea, installations for the stores of the fashion brands “Raf Simons” and “Wandler” in London and Amsterdam, and in cooperation with the social network company “Instagram” – the pavilion “Where The Rainbow Ends ” in Cannes, France.