Unveiling Spooky Masterpieces By Catherine Milner Catherine Milner is a journalist, curator, Creative Director of Messums and editor of The Treasure House Fair Magazine.   Halloween’s transformation from a modest American celebration into what has become a major cultural event throughout Europe but particularly in the UK, began with the influence of films like E.T and Hocus Pocus, but now dominates supermarket shelves, motorway service stations - even art galleries. From a six foot pumpkin by Yayoi Kusama currently outside the Serpentine art gallery in Hyde Park to the exhibition celebrating  horror film director Tim Burton at the Design Museum,  Halloween is celebrated everywhere. Even the London Wetlands Centre is advertising a Supernatural Tour to its visitors - presumably of frogs and toads.  Yayoi Kusama, Pumpkin, 2024 Image courtesy of Serpentine Galleries Halloween has both Christian and pagan roots; its Christian origins link to the feast of All Hallows’ Eve, which is the evening beforeAll Saints’ Day on November 1. Its pagan roots emanate from the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain celebrated in Ireland, Scotland, and parts of Northern Europe, marking the end of the harvest season and the beginning of winter, and the thinning of the boundary between the living and the dead. Yet contemporary Halloween celebrations are principally focused on devouring sweets or money from long-suffering neighbours if you are a child, and creating horror-themed costumes and party food after a grim day out in Tescos, if you are a parent. We once held a far deeper, more dignified approach to contemplating death, paired with far richer artistic expressions; most notably in the Vanitas paintings of the 16th century and the Symbolist works of the late 19th century. Thomas Coulborn is currently selling a pair of German bronze ‘grotesque’ wall light brackets, designed in the 1600’s featuring a fist emerging from the mouth of a  man to spookily hold a candle.   Pair of 17th century German Baroque Bronze Wall Lights Image courtesy of Thomas Coulborn & Sons Equally, the company recently held a boxwood snuffbox carved into the shape of a skull that reminded its owner of the damage he was doing to himself every time he took a sniff. 18th Century Flemish Memento Mori Carved Boxwood Image courtesy of Thomas Coulborn & Sons  Philip Mould is currently selling a momento mori by Cedric Morris which, if not Halloween ish exactly, depicts a purple iris and a dead moorhen to form a visual representation of the transition between life and death. Cedric Morris, Natura Morta ,1947, oil on canvas Image courtesy of Philip Mould & Company Wartski is known for exquisite objets and fine jewellery, so Halloween-themed items here include Fabergé-style eggs or small decorative boxes featuring intricate, Gothic motifs like bats, spiderwebs, or ravens in blackened or oxidised metals. Antique jewellery with black diamonds, onyx, or deep red garnets in ornate, antique settings could evoke a subtle Halloween-inspired touch that also reflects current jewellery trends. Halloween’s grip is not restricted to the West, however. In recent years it has become highly popular in Japan, where it draws upon centuries of haunting imagery. Laura Bordignon sells netsuke or ojime beads: small, eerie but refined carvings depicting supernatural creatures from Japanese folklore, like kitsune (fox spirits) or oni (demons), that would once have been carved into clothes toggles to ward off evil. Elegant carvings of tengu (a mythological, birdlike spirit) or yokai (spirit creatures) in bronze or ivory, though not strictly Halloween-related, bring a mysterious and supernatural element to any collection.  The Japanese love of mists and ethereal landscapes populated by twisting trees and wraith-like figures of the sort you see in the pictures and ceramics sold by the House of Kanata convey a haunted, otherworldly atmosphere without being overtly frightening.    The interior designer, Rose Uniacke is known for her minimalist yet rich interiors, so Halloween pieces here might include Gothic-revival candelabras with a matte finish or minimalist skull-shaped sculptures in bone or alabaster that could stand alone as sculptural art. And a spooky mise-en-scene could be created with the help of Adrian Alan who specialises in opulent Gothic candelabras or chandeliers with dripping wax effects as well as mystical Ormulu clocks. But for those keen to conjure up a merry Halloween, Kate Malone’s stoneware pumpkins sold by Adrian Sassoon, are a tribute to fertility and fecundity rather than the graveyard. Kate Malone, Crystal-filled Pumpkin, 2023 Image courtesy of Adrian Sassoon, London. © Photography by Sylvain Deleu. ‘I was encouraged by seeing those brave pumpkins, a symbol also of tenacity and generosity as they bring a  harvest to the late time of the year,’ says Malone. ‘It’s extraordinary when you see a field of pumpkins where the leaves have died back and the pumpkins are lying there boldly and brazenly on the earth. You might think the contact with the earth and the weight of the pumpkins would spoil them but their skin is so strong and so compact and practical that they sit there without getting sodden.’   So not in the spirit of Halloween exactly, but perhaps more uplifting and enduring.

By Emma Chrichton-Miller Emma Crichton-Miller is Editor-in-Chief of The Design Edit, and an arts journalist, editor and writer. She contributes regularly to the Financial Times and is a columnist on Apollo Magazine.   Ink paintings are one of the fundamental art forms of China. The discoveries of ink and paper-making during the Han Dynasty (206 BC to 220 AD) enabled the rapid spread of literacy, embedding writing, or calligraphy, at the heart of Chinese culture. The tools of ink painting - the bamboo and animal hair brush; the ink made from pine soot and animal glue; the variety of ink stones and the paper - were the tools equally of poetry and philosophy. The Tang Dynasty (618-907) in particular saw a surge in ambition in ink painting, with the emergence of landscape paintings that reflected Daoist, Confucian and Buddhist principles. The art form has remained a significant thread within Chinese art production to the present day, evolving through a process of observing tradition whilst innovating in style, subject and technique.    Fundamental to the quality of the art form is the paper. The most highly valued paper was that made from the bark of the mulberry tree, principally the Paper Mulberry (Broussonetia Papyrifera). This has been used for papermaking in China since a period between the 2nd and 8th century. The technology is found also in Korea, where the oldest existing block print in the world (c. 751 AD) is printed on what the Koreans refer to as hanji paper, made using mulberry bark fibres. It is thought that the Japanese learned the craft from the Koreans, adding their own refinements to the process and using the material not just for calligraphy and print making but also for origami.   High quality Chinese Sangpi and Xuan (especially refined paper), Korean Hanji and Japanese Washi are all typically made from the inner bark of the paper mulberry, which is pounded by hand and mixed with water to produce a paste, and dried into sheets. An important additional substance is  the mucilage that oozes from the roots of Hibiscus manihot, which helps suspend the individual fibres in water. The pounding compacts the fibres, to limit the amount that the inks bleed.    To admire the discernible contribution of mulberry paper to the overall impression of Asian ink painting, you need to get up close. At The Treasure House Fair, three galleries will be showing examples. Michael Goedhuis has been showing Chinese Ink Paintings in the west for more than a decade. His 2012 exhibition “Ink: The Art of China,” at the Saatchi Gallery in London introduced visitors to some of the fifty among the many thousands of Chinese practitioners who are well-respected in the west. This year he will show a range of styles and approaches, from the more classical to the decisively radical. Guan Zhi’s poetic landscapes follow closely the DNA of the masters, with his avowed intent, according to Goedhuis, being to transform “the classical canon of Chinese ink painting into works which are meaningful to both Chinese society and the West today.” Wei Ligang meanwhile creates abstract ink paintings composed from deconstructed characters, recalling but also confounding well-known calligraphic scripts. The specific absorbency of fine xuan paper is critical to the impact of colour and form in his 2011 ink painting, Magnificent Palace.  Guan Zhi, Autumn Lake, 2023. Ink and colour on paper. Signed. Image courtesy of Michael Goedhuis   Gallery Sundaram Tagore shows the spectacular work of New York-based Japanese artist Hiroshi Senju. Balancing on the cusp of abstraction, his often monumental images of waterfalls and cliffs draw on the material presence of mulberry paper - its substantiality that also allows for his conjuring of fine elusive phenomena such as mist and spray. In this way Senju marries the muscular aspects of American Abstract Expressionism with the subtle poetry of Japanese traditional ink painting. The three-dimensional quality of mulberry paper is explored explicitly by Neha Vedpathak, a Detroit-based artist who creates sculptural installations and wall reliefs made from paper. Inspired by nature, she plucks apart the fibres of mulberry paper to create lace-like networks of fibre, which she then paints and stitches into abstract compositions. The Korean artist Chun Kwang Young exploits the sculptural potential of paper further with his well-known Aggregations, a series of tactile, abstract assemblages made from thousands of triangular forms wrapped in hanji, traditional Korean mulberry paper. These have grown into larger scale floor based sculptures and installations, with their own life, as if the mulberry tree itself had reclaimed its living matter. Chun Kwang Young, Aggregation 17 - JL038 (Star 12), 2017. Mixed media with Korean mulberry paper. Image courtesy of Sundaram Tagore Gallery Also at The Treasure House Fair, Gallery 3812 had on show the range and variety of  Chinese ink specialists from the renowned  Hsaio Chin to Qian Wu, one of the outstanding emerging artists who form part of the gallery’s Ya! Young Art programme. Hsaio Chin is part of the post-war generation of Chinese artists who, travelling after the war, sought to bring the traditional vocabulary of Chinese ink painting into conversation with European and American modernism. His lyrical, geometrical abstractions introduce mulberry paper to a sphere dominated in the west by canvas. Qian Wu, meanwhile, born in 1991 in Xiamen, China, but educated equally in the United States and China, crosses between canvas and paper, exploring an abstraction that draws confidently on both traditions, mixing acrylic, oil and ink. As he makes clear, mulberry paper may reach into the past, but is today as potent and expressive a contemporary medium as any other.

Catherine Milner interviews Dara Huang, architect, interior designer and founder of Design Haus Liberty, and Dara Maison.  How important is telling a story through objects when creating an interior? For me, creating an interior is crafting a story. Each piece, whether it's a subtle design narrative or a sweeping journey through space and time, contributes to the overall tale of the home. It's about curating an environment that not only looks beautiful but also feels deeply personal and evocative. Is the idea of home changing? Absolutely. Home is no longer just a showcase; it's a sanctuary meant to support our lifestyles and foster connections. I believe in creating spaces that seamlessly blend form and function, where every corner invites warmth and joy. It's about making sure that beauty enhances everyday life without compromising on comfort or usability. Are new kinds of rooms being created in the home – what are they and what do they need to look good? I've noticed a rising trend towards multi-functional spaces in modern homes. These spaces need to be versatile yet aesthetically pleasing. The key is in selecting furniture and decor that seamlessly adapt to different needs while maintaining a cohesive and inviting atmosphere. You have a keen interest in nature and like plants in an interior. How have you noticed other people responding to our new 'Green times' in the kinds of look they want? Is there a changing aesthetic? Adding elements of nature, such as plants, has become increasingly popular. People are drawn to the vitality and serenity that greenery brings into a space. What's exciting is the diversity of plants available—each offering unique shades, textures, and heights that can be tailored to enhance any design aesthetic. It's about creating environments that feel alive and connected to the natural world, enriching the overall ambiance of the home. How popular is antique art and furniture in the homes you are furnishing, and are there any particular trends you have noticed? Antique art and furniture continue to hold a special allure, honoring the craftsmanship and history behind each piece. I often integrate these timeless treasures with modern elements to create intriguing juxtapositions that add depth and character to interiors. It's about celebrating the past while embracing contemporary design sensibilities, resulting in spaces that feel both rooted in tradition and refreshingly current. What has been the most popular item of art or design you have sold at Dara Maison? One of our standout pieces has been the sage green sofa—it's been incredibly well-received by our clients. People are captivated by its rich texture, inviting dimensions, and the way its color effortlessly complements various interior styles. It's gratifying to see how a single piece of furniture can transform a room, adding personality and charm. What is the most exciting part of your job? The most thrilling aspect of my work is the creative journey itself. Every project presents a new canvas to express ideas and turn visions into reality. I live for the opportunity to collaborate with clients and artisans, harnessing their expertise to craft spaces that not only meet practical needs but also inspire and uplift. It's about creating homes that resonate on a deeply personal level, where beauty and functionality converge seamlessly. Below: Dara Huang