Profile: Arik Levy


A leading name in both the fields of art and design, Arik Levy is about to unveil his latest work for Vitra.


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Words by Emily Martin

Arik Levy is a top international figure in both the art and design communities, an achievement owed largely to his somewhat unconventional career route. An artist foremost, he is renowned for his sculpture work, which has become widely sought for both public and private collections. He says that his art 'led to design', rather than it being an option for a predictable route through education.

Levy's portfolio features some impressive, high-profile commissions such as a sculpture for the Hermitage in St Petersburg, commissioned by the Louise Alexander Gallery and forming a 'landmark' project for the artist.

This September, Levy will also launch his latest design collection for Vitra at this year's Orgatec, in an on-going alliance formed some 15 years ago. Additionally Levy has had seemingly countless exhibitions of his work, with displays in London, Paris, Tel Aviv and Tokyo to name but a few locations worldwide.

Arik Levy’s rockGrowth193. Now owned by a private collector, it was previously on display at the Louise Alexander Gallery, in Porto Cervo, Italy.
Arik Levy's rockGrowth193. Now owned by a private collector, it was previously on display at the Louise Alexander Gallery, in Porto Cervo, Italy. Photo: Rockgrowth 193 (2016): © Arik Levy, Courtesy Of Louise Alexander Gallery

Levy talks of design as being an 'obsession'; a profession to consume you, not to be desired as a label. But embarking on this all-consuming career meant it took him from Tel Aviv where he was born and where he airbrushed artwork on to some 2,000 surfboards to help pay the bills, to living in Paris with a hugely successful design studio. 'You must enjoy it,' is Levy's advice to design students about to embark on their own career journey. He talks passionately. 'You do it not because it's cool, but because you want to. You think about design all the time.'

We speak on the phone, and it's easy to imagine a driven, self-disciplined man who is hugely passionate about his work. 'My best achievement is yet to come; I feel I have more to explore and discover, and while I've already worked on some inspiring projects there is always more to see,' he says. There's an almost unstoppable energy about him. 'I'd like to write a book, but it is a challenge as there is too much to write. I can't figure out the structure of the content [with so many areas to include],' he says.

Success is important to Levy, who uses the word 'ambitious' to describe himself. An adventurer too, he moved to Paris in 1991 after graduating from an industrial design course at Art Center Europe, in Switzerland. Prior this he was in Tel Aviv and 'followed' his then girlfriend to Geneva in 1988 after completing his first sculpture exhibition. 'I started out in Paris looking for work and now my problem is doing it all,' Levy says -- laughing at the irony of it.

Fractal Giant, currently on show at the Aeroplastics Gallery in Brussels
Fractal Giant, currently on show at the Aeroplastics Gallery in Brussels. Photo: Fractalgiant: © Arik Levy

Arriving in Paris during the early Nineties Levy set about establishing his network, which saw him briefly go to Japan to 'consolidate ideas' and produce pieces for further exhibitions, before returning to Paris to work as a lecturer and set designer. With the latter he had been inspired by spending time in various performance venues watching his girlfriend, a dancer, perform. 'There is this incredible beauty [in stage performances], which I found inspired me when I was in these venues and immersed in these creative arts,' Levy says, who went on to design sets for contemporary dance and opera.

But after establishing his studio in Paris, levy focused his work on art and industrial design (he has since also created hi-tech clothing and accessory lines) to build up his now hugely successful name in both fields. Nevertheless, he has sought commercial recognition in both art and design, two disciplines often regarded as conflicting. But levy says it's not a question of conflict, but one of respect: 'You make things clear; design is not art and art is not design...For me they are both separate and mixed, but i believe it is the responsibility of the creator to draw the line of the discipline.'

His ABC office system, for Vitra.
His ABC office system, for Vitra. Photo: ABC Vitra: © Arik Levy

While recognising the boundaries of art and design, Levy remains unbound. Some work, he says, uses a fusion of disciplines to produce pieces of 'functional art' or 'art to use'; using a narrative of art in its form and 'not from the wish of making a product'. Levy's success lies within a self-imposed creative freedom: a liberation of working without constraints such as labels, qualifications and even money.

'What constitutes the present and supports the future is believing in what you are doing, and doing it to the best and without limits,' he says. 'I do not look backwards, I do not count when I need to invest. I do not calculate too much when I create, and I have learned to take risks without speculation.'








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