Holotype

Holotype is a Refractory exhibition above Alcova’s E-space, a former psychiatric care center whose attic was enveloped in concrete during WWII, a space that invisibly held air above the visible and infinitely nuanced work of psychiatric care.
A holotype is, by definition, rare and acute, the single specimen designated by an author or researcher that therefore assigns the name-bearing representative of a new species or group.
Refractory is an American studio quietly punctuating seen and unseen boundaries in international collectible furniture and fabrication philosophy. In Holotype, Refractory offers a contemplative, unassuming ensemble of its work alongside the eerily clear yet existential collaborative works of American photographer and documentarian Sarah Wilson and her work amidst paleontological specimens and phenomenon.
Above, below, and parallel to assumed arteries of culture and commerce, new and ever-faster lanes are insatiably built, the heretofore becomes the new, and the pace across ecosystems is incalculable. Culture, art, design, manufacturing, and perhaps most importantly, plain-old beautiful simplicity, are out-paced.
Makers and artisans dig into a collective dilemma, a reverence for materiality, a desire to be durable, and a livelihood that is chronically undervalued in terms of the rarity of the modern fabricator. The most elevated and collectible works in the world are expected to be quiet and in many cases beyond reach, vocal from a brand point of view yet silent from the making.
Distinctly within the grit of these creative industries and dilemmas is mental health, the kaleidoscopes, spectrums, and crossover journeys that hold creative teams and cultures together.
There a versus among us. New holotypes are craved.