Kiki & Joost : A Complementary Grammar of Creation

A rare clarity arises when two distinct artistic voices evolve in sustained proximity and reciprocity, rather than in opposition. The work of Dutch designers Kiki van Eijk and Joost van Bleiswijk is the result of a long-term collaboration involving the sharing of ideas and gestures, and the act of creation itself. Over the course of two decades, they have cultivated a personal, complementary language based on intuitive drawing, architectural precision and a shared commitment to their studio as a space for open innovation. Kiki and Joost create worlds, not just objects, resisting the forces of speed, superficiality and mass production.

This exhibition, titled Kiki & Joost: A Complementary Grammar of Creation and showing at Spazio Nobile Gallery in Brussels, is like a conversation between two ingenious minds. The central pieces, which were conceived together, are the heart and result of that deep, ongoing, loving dialogue. This does not happen so often in our industry. For this exhibition, Kiki and Joost have worked together for the first time to create a cohesive piece: a four-panel room divider composed of hammered copper, cotton lace, vertical cotton roping, and a mirrored surface. This is an object that, while traditionally associated with separation, here becomes a marker of shared authorship and spatial intimacy. There’s a subtle irony in the choice: perhaps only two designers so precisely in tune could choose to materialise their dialogue through an object meant to divide. Yet rather than creating distance, the piece proposes a threshold – inviting reflection, not only in the literal sense of the mirror, but in the way it embodies a synthesis of form languages, techniques, and material affinities. In this single gesture, the structural and the poetic, the precise and the intuitive, merge.

The exhibition, Kiki & Joost: A Complementary Grammar of Creation, is spread across two distinct spaces at Spazio Nobile Gallery, each offering a unique perspective on the artists’ creative journey. The Main Gallery, with its pristine white walls and open, airy layout, showcases a curated selection of pieces that highlight pivotal moments in the artists’ creative journeys. Although the gallery features only a few pieces, each one is significant, having been carefully chosen to represent a particular chapter in their story. Together, pieces from each of their past collections create a small

retrospective, offering a reflection on their past and a hint at their future. Kiki’s Sprouts 01, with its delicate yet tactile design, channels the organic growth of nature and explores texture and form. Similarly, Structuring Chaos (Orange Tangle) plays with the tension between order and disorder as vibrant colours and intricately layered forms come together, suggesting a kind of controlled spontaneity that mirrors the artist’s creative process. Joost’s works, such as the desk that doubles as a sculpture in Beam Sketch, reveal his architectural sensibility. The raw metal surfaces, combined with the sheer scale and form of the desk, ground it in materiality and space. Meanwhile, Curved and Taped Red is a reimagining of functional design, expanding the limits of what a piece of furniture can convey with its bold exploration of form, material and colour. The use of tape as a design element imbues the piece with an experimental energy where structure and fluidity coexist.

Just across the street is a second intriguing little space called Spazio Nobile Studiolo, which offers a completely different atmosphere. Here, Kiki and Joost’s works are displayed closely together, creating an immersive atmosphere. It is like a captivating, overcrowded parade. The proximity of the objects, combined with bold colours and large writing on the walls and in the display case, reflects the intensity and passion with which the designers approach their craft. Spazio Nobile Studiolo reveals a raw, experimental side to their creative process, showcasing the constant exchange and distinct creative direction between Kiki and Joost as they evolve together.

Kiki & Joost: A Complementary Grammar of Creation is defined by two contrasting environments: the sleek, curated presentation in the Main Gallery and the dynamic, jam packed space of Spazio Nobile Studiolo. Both projects offer a glimpse into the designers’ approach to the world around them, revealing how their personal lives and creative processes coexist, constantly interplay and occasionally intertwine while remaining distinct.