Damien Gernay

Damien Gernay (b. 1975, Paris suburbs) is a Belgian-based artist and designer whose work dissolves the line between art and design. Trained at ESA Saint-Luc in Tournai and an alumnus of artist residencies including Le Fresnoy, he established his Brussels studio in 2007.
 
Gernay’s multidisciplinary practice—spanning furniture, lighting, and sculptural objects—is rooted in experimentation and material exploration. He embraces the unpredictable in his work, deliberately incorporating chance and “errors” to create pieces rich in texture, ambiguity, and narrative.
 
His acclaimed series, Mer Noire, uses patinated steel and leather to evoke the dynamic movement of the sea, capturing a fleeting moment in frozen form. Gernay has exhibited widely at prestigious venues—PAD London & Paris, ICFF New York, Milan Design Week—and institutions like the Milan Triennale, Ghent Design Museum, and Bozar Brussels.
 
At Gallery Van den Akker, his works (including the Amalgame cocktail tables) are celebrated for their organic forms, hand-applied finishes, and sculptural balance—underscoring his reputation as a magician of water and matter.