Interview: Harry Nuriev (Crosby Studio Founder) - Stories Created by Space
Harry Nuriev is an artist, architect, and designer based in Paris and New York. He founded his own studio, Crosby Studios, in 2014 and continues to work beyond the boundaries of art and design.
At the core of his creations is the concept of "Transformism." Through transformation and reinterpretation, he bestows new meaning on existing materials and forms, shaking up everyday perceptions. His unique aesthetic sense and tactile sensibility constantly offer new experiences.
First, please introduce yourself.
My name is Harry Nuriev and I'm an artist.
The Crosby Studios space is part showroom, part dream installation. When designing interiors, do you think of them like architecture or stage direction?
Space is something that constantly tells a story, and each time it creates a new story. Even the same space can tell a completely different story depending on the time and situation. I believe that creativity is born from the movements and emotions of the mind, not from techniques.
When you design an interior, how do you transform the space? At what moment do you see the potential of the place?
Each space has its own unique rules and rhythms, from which ideas naturally emerge. The important thing is to listen quietly to that voice.
Your work seems to express a sense of tension between opposing elements, such as softness and hardness, luxury and everyday life. How do you think these contrasts and tensions affect the spaces and furniture you create?
Contrast is an essential part of our world.
Just as we move between day and night, we live between stillness and movement.
Your exhibition "The Transformist Apartment," held at Villa Noailles this year, interweaves everyday elements to create a striking space that is both intimate and powerful. Could you tell us about the concept of this exhibition?
What I depict is the image of humans trying to live in a beautiful space, no matter how much reality changes. Even in a dystopian world, there is a desire for beauty.
What is your studio space like? Is it constantly changing?
That's likely to change again soon.
Now everything is reversed like a mirror.
You are currently based in Paris. How have your space, daily rhythm, and way of thinking changed compared to living in New York?
I feel like my life in Paris now moves at a similar rhythm to that of New York.
My studio is a very personal space to me, but it's also a place where people gather and conversations and events take place. It may no longer be considered a completely private space, but I feel that this ambiguity is what shapes my current lifestyle and way of thinking.
If you were to work on something in Japan, how do you think it would be different from a project in Paris or New York?
Japan is home to so many incredible artists, designers, and architects. I have the utmost respect for people like SANAA and Junya Ishigami. I want to express the traditional aesthetic sense of Japanese minimalism by combining it with my own sense of "Transformism."
Finally, if you have any upcoming projects or announcements, please share them with us.
He will be presenting his first solo exhibition at Art Basel in Paris.
It's going to be a very exciting and fun project for me.
