Art X Design｜The Home of the Spirit
15 March 2026
Written by Louisa Chu
The FUSION exhibition at the Romulus Folio Gallery brings together the sculptural furniture design of Mark Alexander and the paintings of Angelina Mirabito, showcasing the intersection between art and design.
Mark Alexander is a respected luxury interior designer and furniture maker who combines creativity and imagination with functionality in his work. Alexander believes that interior design is “a true art form, a way of thinking and breathing”. In this exhibition, his design speaks with fine art and becomes integrated with the gallery space as functional sculpture. Through his Art Deco and mid-century inspired pieces, we see clean, grounded structure and proportion balanced with soft, elegant curves.
This sense of balance can also be found in Mirabito’s works, where softness, freedom, grace and spontaneity unfold through rugged textures and flowing lines within a carefully considered composition. In both artists’ practices, there is a tension between stability and movement, calmness and boldness, strength and gentleness.
To highlight the theme of fusion between art and design, the exhibition features the archives of Flights of Love, a collaborative project between Mirabito and Alexander in 2025. Inspired by the GRAYA architectural structure of an Art Deco staircase, the two artists developed a series of paintings that explore the convergence of art, design, love, and the living space. Mirabito was also deeply inspired by Botticelli’s The Birth of Venus, bringing the Renaissance ideals of beauty and harmony into dialogue with contemporary design.
When stepping into the exhibition space, we encounter the installation of balls in different sizes scattered across the gallery floor and around the pillars. Painted white with gold brushstrokes on their surfaces, these balls echo the irregular, layered textures, and luminous tones of Mirabito’s paintings. More importantly, the spherical elements and the golden touches throughout the space resonate with the gold balls that we see in Alexander’s design objects. The sculptural balls guide the viewer’s trajectory through the exhibition, subtly connecting paintings, the surrounding environment, and Alexander’s design into a cohesive whole, creating a harmonious spatial experience.
Exhibition Dates
4 March to 28 March 2026
Romulus Folio Gallery
55 Gladstone Street
South Melbourne VIC 3205
Opening Hours
Wednesday to Friday 12pm to 7pm
Saturday to Sunday 12pm to 5pm
