Carpenters Workshop Gallery New York presents Ancestral, a solo exhibition of Ingrid Donat, one of the most influential living artists in the decorative arts. The display showcases the artist’s skill for integrating sculptural practice into functional pieces of art influenced by living organisms and the natural world. Following previews in Paris and London, the expanded exhibition in New York is the culmination of a global exhibition tour that celebrates a practitioner known for imbuing materials like bronze and wood with warmth and vitality.

The display includes three new works that mark a continuation of Ingrid Donat’s long-term affinity with the commode – an item with which she has become synonymous. These new pieces reflect the unique approaches to sculptural form that define Ingrid Donat’s practice, many of which can be traced back to the initial days of her career – such as the curves and rounded shapes that the artist found herself sculpting spontaneously while she was pregnant in her early 20s, soon leading her towards an artistic examination of the form and function of the female body.

One of Ingrid Donat’s recent masterpieces, Commode Ooni, first unveiled in Paris in April 2024, marks a triumphant return to the artist’s signature aesthetic of mark-making and scarification – a fascination that permeates her work, style, materials and process. The delicate, intricate pattern meticulously engraved into the surface is achieved through the process of wax casting, where the bronze is soldered and molded with an exceptional level of precision and craft. Alongside a team of 15 artisans and a specialist foundry, Ingrid Donat worked piece-by-piece to form the commode’s complex and embellished framework.

Two other new works are shown in this exhibition for the first time. Commode Maya features a bronze exterior marked with an experimental, mechanical pattern that resembles animal- or insect-like forms inspired by the art of the ancient Mayans. The handles have been hand-molded by the artist out of wax, leaving her personal, physical imprint on the work. Commode Tatoo features square, geometric patterns resembling reptilian skin, like that of a crocodile or even a mythical dragon. Its rounded edges create feminine curves that make the piece appear as if it is breathing.

The unique patterns on the surfaces of all commodes are mirrored exactly in their leather interiors, creating a seamless continuity between outside and inside. The three works sit in dialogue with each other in terms of their anthropomorphic quality inspired by human, animal and natural form, but each with its own unique personality, motifs and inspirations.

A major figure in the design world for several decades, Ingrid Donat’s collaboration with Carpenters Workshop Gallery spans over 15 years, cementing her status as a leading artist in her field. Born to a Swedish mother and a Réunionese father, Ingrid Donat’s cultural blend has shaped the singularity of her aesthetic, which combines Art Nouveau and Art Deco influences with her own unique craftsmanship.

Working predominantly in bronze, Ingrid Donat takes a painterly approach to the weighty medium, often imprinting surfaces with patterns of repetitive circular discs. Her mastery of the soldering and engraving that adorn her pieces highlights her harmonious integration of traditional techniques with contemporary sensibilities. The artist’s work is rooted in the French Decorative Arts but also in her own diverse heritage and the world cultures that she encounters, incorporating various tribal traditions, while other patterns and characters influenced by the work of Egon Schiele, Gustav Klimt and Armand-Albert Rateau.