Michael Anastassiades
Trained in civil engineering and then industrial design, London-based artist Michael Anastassiades established his studio in 1994 and has since been producing pieces that are both technologically advanced and beautifully designed. Though at first glance they might appear merely utilitarian, his objects—many of them lit— are in fact stunningly detailed and rigorously proportioned: the glass is free blown, the metal finishes are bespoke. His work is in the permanent collections of museums such as the Museum of Modern Art in New York and the Victoria and Albert Museum in London.
Cypriot, b. 1967, based in London, United Kingdom
Michael Anastassiades launched his studio in 1994 to explore contemporary notions of culture and aesthetics through a combination of product, furniture and environmental design. Positioned between fine art and design, his work aims to provoke dialogue, participation and interaction. He creates objects that are minimal, utilitarian and almost mundane, yet full of vitality one might not expect.
Anastassiades’ work is featured in permanent collections at the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, the Craft Council in London, the FRAC Centre in Orleans, France, and the MAK in Vienna. His solo exhibitions include Time and Again at the Geymüllerschlössel/MAK in Vienna, To Be Perfectly Frank at Svenskt Tenn in Stockholm, Norfolk House Music room at the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, Cyprus Presidency at the European Parliament in Brussels, Belgium. One of the most recent exhibitions explores what Anastassiades calls the “contemporary anxieties of modern Cyprus” entitled Reload the Current Page at the Point Centre for Contemporary Art in Nicosia, Cyprus, and the collection General Illuminations, as part of the exhibition Doings on Time and Light at Rodeo Gallery, Istanbul.
He has designed products with various leading manufacturers including FLOS, Lobmeyr and Svenskt Tenn. In 2007 he set up the company Michael Anastassiades Ltd to produce his signature pieces; a collection of lighting, furniture, jewellery, and tabletop objects.
The studio’s philosophy is a continuous search for eclecticism, individuality, and timeless qualities in design. Michael Anastassiades trained as a civil engineer at London’s Imperial College of Science Technology and Medicine before taking a masters degree in industrial design at the Royal College of Art. He lives and works in London.
