Commissioned exclusively for Collectional, this cross-cultural showcase presents Mexico City’s brightest design talents in Dubai from 6 November to 12 December 2024. Featuring all new work by Manu Bañó, Héctor Esrawe and their collective design practice EWE Studio founded with

Age Salajõe, the UNEARTHING show explores techniques, traditions and narratives in materiality and process.

UNEARTHING: The Alchemy of Mexican Metalwork represents the first group show together for the three Mexico City-based studios, working individually and in concert, to dive into the rich history of Mexico through the lens of landscape, territory, materials and process, with a focus on objects crafted in metal.

Just as archaeologists unearth artifacts to understand a culture, the studios have mined and minted their medium; from steel and iron to copper, brass and bronze, while demonstrating a profound respect for the integrity of materials and the land from which they are unearthed and shaped. The result is an alchemical transformation; with age-old techniques reinterpreted to create contemporary design pieces.