From Sept. 7 to 10, Gabarron's Hub for Artistic Creation by Siza was introduced for the first time in the 38th China International Furniture Expo (Shanghai).

The Gabarron's Hub for Artistic Creation by Siza is co-sponsored by Green Spring and Cristobal Gabarron Foundation. As a senior partner of the Expo, MATSU uses the Exhibition series and furniture products from its modular building system to create a high-end, inspiring business atmosphere with architectural aesthetics.

During the exhibition, the complete design solution of Gabarron's Hub for Artistic Creation by Siza was unveiled for the first time, including design drawings, architectural models and master manuscripts, as well as a great number of photos and videos to show the two maestros’ entire design process from survey, design to repeated discussions.

On the opening day of the exhibition, maestro Gabarron appeared at the scene and offered an extraordinary “minded salon” – an international forum on A Dialogue between Modern Architecture and Public Art, together with several outstanding domestic architects. The house was simply packed.

Modern Architecture and Public Art in Maestro’s Eyes
Prof. Sanchez Medrano from UCAM University Department of Architecture, Spanish maestro Cristobal Gabarron and his son Cris Gabarron showed up at the scene to bring us a minded salon themed “A Dialogue between Modern Architecture and Public Art”.

Q1: Public art? Not a clue!
－In the exchange session, maestro Gabarron patiently answered questions raised by young designers. When asked “how to introduce modern art to the public space of a city”, the maestro said that outstanding works of art in his mind should fit into a city, whether in terms of material or design, etc. So when a fine piece of art fits into a certain space, then naturally it will seem as if it’s in dialogue with the surrounding environment.

Q2: Public art sets the cultural foundation for Chinese cities
Taking about valuable suggestions for young designers in China, the maestro expressed his views: “I believe that art can give a public space or a city an identity, recognition and unique cultural heritage; while China is in excessive pursuit of urbanization, it’s ignored to show a city’s unique cultural heritage. Many cities were keen on imposing high buildings, while decoration of public space was rarely seen.”

Q3: Faced with the situation of new architecture replacing the old in China, how can we change waste into treasure?
"When we are faced with an abandoned building that’s lost all functions, our first thought as a designer should never be pulling it down and building a new one. However, we need to think about how to reuse the existing resources and rebuild functional facilities more needed by surrounding residents. And during this renovation process, we need to not only consider how to use modern artistic techniques, but also how to integrate new features.

Gabarron’s Tour to MATSU
Before the exhibition day, or on the afternoon of September 6, a group of people led by maestro Gabarron visited MATSU flagship store exhibition hall in Shanghai. Mr. Gabarron gave a high credit to Matsu’s tenet of “Inspiring Office Lifestyle” and its products. He believed that good art design can not only stimulate creative inspiration and improve work efficiency, but also bring people a sense of happiness and belonging.