AFTER AGO Is an Ode to the Arch

Lebanese interior architect and product designer Richard Yasmine is always looking to incorporate a fresh approach to his culture and tradition. To Yasmine, this means collaborating with craftsmen, respecting the relationship between tradition and technology and keeping his style of creating streamlined objects with a touch of fantasy. Yasmine’s AFTER AGO is an ode to the arch that’s at once functional, timeless and sculptural. Inspired by the Postmodernism/Memphis movement, with a touch of Art Deco and Brutalism, the art collection sought out how using simple lines can create an entire range of objects that’s both thoughtful and minimal.

Through an intense sketching process, Yasmine embraced the shape’s curves and created a seat, a shelving unit, a table, a tray, a vase and more in total. When it came time to produce AFTER AGO, he stayed true to himself and handcrafted and painted each piece using multiple materials: foam, lightweight concrete plaster, acrylic and stoneware and clay.

The alternating black and white stripes on each side of the objects explore spacial, illusionary and emotional opposites. Yasmine connects this to the history of Beirut, a city that’s experienced many different chapters throughout the years that always rises from the ashes.

AFTER AGO is currently a conceptual project.