Table

To greet is to meet, to step beyond ourselves and welcome the presence of another. We’re excited to invite you to experience ‘Nice to meet you!’ at @gagnecontemporary as part of @designtofestival from Jan 23rd-31st. Nice to meet you! is a group exhibition bringing together 11 emerging designers and their reflections on the ‘act of a greeting’. The work will explore how design can create a sense of belonging, with work spanning from physical objects and digital interactive projects. To expand on the ideas presented in the exhibition, we will be hosting a panel talk to explore ‘The Design of the Third Place’ with talented practitioners who have played a role in shaping Toronto’s creative community. 🥂 Opening Reception: Jan 24th, 6-9PM 🎙️ Panel Talk: Jan 29th, 7-9PM RSVP at link in bio. We look forward to meeting you! Designers: Alison Postma & Danica Drago @rumalow @danicadrago Ben Weatherhead @ben_weatherhead Dylan Newman @dorman_newman Mal Yu @myu.ca Mark Khoury & Devansh Shah @markkhourydesign @devanshcshah Melody Chen @melodychenstudio Choi Na Ye @mission.forfun Rubiat Fusigboye @rubiat.svg Sony Chen @sony__chen Panel Talk Speakers: Ali McQuaid Mitchell @wearefuturestudio Blair Francey Shanik Tanna @shanikt @recess.community Visual Branding by @viktoriia.iats

It was so nice to meet you! A huge thank you to everyone who came to our exhibition and panel talk. We’re so grateful to have such a supportive community - so many new and familiar faces. Putting on an exhibition has been a goal of ours since we started Table. It’s been rewarding to showcase such a variety of work as we continue our exploration of what the practice and skills of industrial design can create. Supporting design experimentation is so important to keeping creativity alive and accessible to all. Thank you @gagnecontemporary for your generosity and trust, to each of our designers for all your hard work. Thank you to everyone who supported us along the way. What a pleasure it was to be a part of @designtofestival for the first time. Special thanks to the Ontario Arts Council and the Government of Ontario for supporting our exhibition. Thank you, thank you, thank you! See you soon! 👋 C&S

ARC by @ben_weatherhead The act of lighting incense is an invitation to be present in a space. After a long day it’s an intentional decision to stay a while, to observe yourself in your surroundings. It can foster a sense of familiarity, of welcome. Even long after burning, the scent quietly lingers, ready to greet you next time you arrive in the space. The ARC Burner honors this practice by complementing the dynamic, seductive qualities of incense with a thoughtfully rational structure. Three intersecting sheets of brass work to elegantly support a burning stick while holding an unassuming stance. Ben Weatherhead is an industrial designer based in Seattle, Washington working in the furniture and home goods space. Often inspired by materiality and fabrication methods, he seeks to leverage technical knowledge to create objects that embody beauty and clarity. Displayed at @gagnecontemporary as part of Nice to meet you! during @designtofestival from Jan 23-31, 2026. Photo by @katya.koroscil

Accordion Bench by @melodychenstudio Growing up, when entering a Taiwanese household, the phrase “Please remove your shoes” is often heard before any “Welcome in”s or “Thanks for coming”s. Following suit is a sign of respect for the host and a cultural practice passed down through generations. Even as families immigrated across seas, this practice is deeply instilled into our households. The Accordion Bench is a contemporary interpretation of this custom. The bench is intended to be placed at the entryway of your home to greet and encourage guests to take a seat and remove their shoes in comfort. Melody Chen is a multidisciplinary designer with a background in architecture and product design. Her diverse design experiences helped her develop an eye for the ordinary and a strong attention to detail. She strives to design for balance between function and aesthetic. Installed at @gagnecontemporary as part of Nice to meet you! during @designtofestival from Jan 23-31, 2026. Photos by @katya.koroscil and LeiLei Zhao

Ódàbọ̀ (Until I See You Again) by @rubiat.svg Ódàbọ̀ means “until I see you again” in Yoruba, a word that carries faith in reunion, a faith in home. Layered panels of dyed indigo wood and acrylic recall adire cloth; indigo becomes sky, serenity, cultural memory. Behind them, a warm orange light glows like the sun that follows me from home. Motion sensors awaken the light as you approach, while touch alone coaxes sound: field recordings from Nigeria, lullabies, morning birds, quiet textures of home. Appreciation to Adam Ashley for the care that helped bring this piece into being. Please approach. Touch. Listen. Hold the promise within. Rubiat Fusigboye is a Toronto-based Nigerian multidisciplinary artist and digital designer blending cultural storytelling with creative technology. Her interactive installations, projection mapping, creative coding, and physical computing invite learning, play, and communal connection. She explores Arduino-driven transformations of everyday spaces into curious dialogues. Installed at @gagnecontemporary as part of Nice to meet you! during @designtofestival from Jan 23-31, 2026. Photo by @katya.koroscil

Touch Point Sconce by @markkhourydesign & @devanshcshah A handshake, a hug, a kiss, the tap of a shoulder - moments of physical connection are an ever present part of our lives. Touch Point is a sconce that cherishes these fleeting moments. A pendant hangs from the body of the sconce, inviting interaction through curiosity. As the proximity of the pendant to the indent in the shade shrinks, the light of the sconce is gently lit. When finally they meet, the pendant is held in place, the light remaining at full brightness until it’s removed once again - a hello and a goodbye at your fingertips. Mark Khoury & Devansh Shah are industrial designers based in Toronto working across lighting, furniture, and object design. From exhibiting at the same shows, hosting events together, and a general entwining of their circles, this exhibition and its charming brief made for a natural next step in their collaboration. Experience at @gagnecontemporary as part of Nice to meet you! during @designtofestival until Sat, Jan 31st 2026. Photo by @katya.koroscil

Child’s Pose by @mission.forfun Child’s Pose is a surreal and slightly humorous clay sculpture depicting a child’s body in the yoga position known as “child’s pose.” Made from Cone 04 earthenware and air-sprayed with maiolica glaze, the piece has a glossy, inviting surface that draws viewers in. The posture suggests calmness, introspection, and play, yet also evokes the gesture of bowing, a form of greeting and respect in many Eastern cultures. The sculpture sits at the intersection of art and design, exploring how form, material, and gesture can shape emotional experience and create a sense of presence within a space. Choi Na Ye is a Korean Canadian ceramic artist living in Toronto. With a foundation in Industrial Design, today she explores her in-between cultural heritage through the lens of contemporary identity. Choi Na Ye is her home for play, where tradition meets authenticity. On display at @gagnecontemporary as part of Nice to meet you! during @designtofestival until Sat, Jan 31st 2026. Photo by @katya.koroscil

Shift by @myu.ca Shift is an aluminum/brass wall-mounted hook for keys, clothes, and small accessories. The project examines the liminal space that exists at points of transition, specifically the threshold between entrance and exit. The keyhole acts as a gatekeeper, serving as the point of contact for moving into and out of a space simultaneously. Shift hook captures this duality of arrival and departure, holding traces of leaving while concurrently welcoming the user in. The gesture of loading/unloading the hook creates an intuitive interaction that feels intentional. Mal Yu is an artist and industrial designer based in the Netherlands. Using industrial materials and narrative thinking, she explores interesting moments between humans and objects, focusing on domestic goods that are functional and reflective. Installed at @gagnecontemporary as part of Nice to meet you! during @designtofestival until Sat, Jan 31st 2026. Photo by @katya.koroscil

Hi, Together by @sony__chen This interactive installation invites visitors to create a digital form on a tablet and contribute it to a shared digital collection projected on a monitor. Participation is activated only when two individuals greet one another through physical touch, allowing their creation to be sent into the collection. The work centers on the fleeting yet powerful moment of greeting, tracing the transition from individual presence to shared connection and extending the experience beyond the installation itself. While the final form continues to evolve, the interaction and scale are shaped by the spatial relationship required for two people to engage. Sony Chen is a digital product designer working primarily in fintech, grounded in an industrial design background. This multidisciplinary practice bridges physical and digital experiences, exploring how technology, objects, and human behaviour intersect. Through varied mediums, Sony focuses on designing moments of connection, invitation, and belonging across interfaces and tangible interactions. Add a handshake to the collection at @gagnecontemporary as part of Nice to meet you! during @designtofestival until Sat, Jan 31st 2026. Photo by @katya.koroscil

Nest by @dorman_newman Nest explores shelter as a simple, welcoming form. The translucent structure softens the light while offering protection - balancing visibility and refuge. Referencing the instinctive need for home, the piece reflects how thoughtful design can invite presence, safety and belonging. By framing shelter as both functional and symbolic, the birdhouse suggests that spaces, no matter their scale, can be designed to connect and care for both its inhabitants and its viewers. Dylan Newman is an industrial designer based in the Greater Toronto Area. Inspired by unanticipated observations of the material world, his process emphasizes curiosity and experimentation, unfolding across furniture, lighting and installations. On display at @gagnecontemporary as part of Nice to meet you! during @designtofestival until Sat, Jan 31st 2026. Photo by @katya.koroscil

Secret Handshake Vase by @rumalow @danicadrago Secret Handshake is an unsubtle nod. Mounted to the wall and unafraid to take up space, the vase calls to those in the know. Secret Handshake embodies the greeting as a way of finding belonging. The ceramic piece has a rounded bottom and relies on the wall mount to be held upright. The disparate materials work together to hold floral arrangements and each other. Alison Postma and Danica Drago are Toronto artists and makers who started collaborating in 2025. Each brings a unique set of skills and material knowledge to projects that toe the line between functional and sculptural. On display at @gagnecontemporary as part of Nice to meet you! during @designtofestival until Sat, Jan 31st, 2026. Photo by @katya.koroscil

Coined by urban sociologist Ray Oldenburg in 1989, a ‘third place’ is a social environment that goes beyond home and work and is designed to foster a sense of belonging and connection. These spaces act as a greeting between the individual and community. For our fifth edition of Pull Up A Chair, we will explore the intentional design decisions and impact of ‘third places’. Surrounded by our exhibition, Nice to meet you!, join us for an evening of discussion with creatives who have played a significant role in Toronto’s third places. - ​We’re so excited to by joined by: Ali McQuaid Mitchell, founder of Toronto-based design firm Futurestudio (@wearefuturestudio ), known for its forward-thinking approach to interiors that adapt to evolving lifestyles and environmental needs. Her work blends contemporary aesthetics with timeless design, earning her recognition as one of the city’s most sought-after designers. Shanik Tanna (@shanikt ) is a Toronto-based creative producer and co-founder of Recess Community (@recess.community ), a space for play, learning, and connection. His work blends visual storytelling with community-led spaces, focusing on calm, inclusive environments that foster curiosity and collective experimentation. Blair Francey is a Senior Designer at Trajectory Brands Inc. His experience spans brand identity, digital and environmental design for arts, culture, education, and civic-focused clients. With a background in playwriting and an MA in Design (Critical Practice) from Goldsmiths, his work is rooted in storytelling and civic engagement. He also teaches design at George Brown Polytechnic and is a member of the RGD. ​​Light refreshments will be served! 🥂 🗓️ RSVP link in bio 🗓️ Pull Up A Chair: The Design of The Third Place Thursday, January 29th, 7-9PM Gagné Contemporary (401 Richmond St W Studio B-20, Toronto, ON M5V 3A8) - Visual Branding by @viktoriia.iats