The French gallery Galerie Gastou will take part in NOMAD Abu Dhabi 2026, from 18 to 22 November, with an installation that sets out to explore the relationship between reality, illusion and artistic creation. Under the concept ‘Fata Morgana’, the exhibition will bring together a selection of sculptural and design pieces in a space conceived by Joy Herro, where light, organic forms and the imagination will be the main narrative elements.
The project takes as its starting point the optical phenomenon known as Fata Morgana, a mirage that distorts the perception of distant landscapes, making them appear to float, stretch or transform on the horizon. Its name derives from Morgana, a figure from Arthurian legend associated with magic and mystery. This reference serves as the central theme of an exhibition that seeks to blur the boundaries between the tangible and the imaginary.
The artist Irene Cattaneo will take centre stage in the exhibition, with a series of sculptural works that reinterpret elements of nature through a language verging on the fantastical. Her creations evoke an imaginary garden in which flowers take on luminous qualities and plant forms are transformed into objects that lie somewhere between sculpture, furniture and living organisms.
Among the pieces on display are the Snowdrop floor lamps, integrated into the exhibition design by Joy Herro, as well as the Lily table lamp, dated 2026. Through these works, Cattaneo creates a visual universe in which delicacy, mystery and references to the natural world coexist.
The exhibition will also establish a dialogue between different generations and creative disciplines. Alongside Cattaneo’s works, pieces by Philippe Hiquily, François-Xavier Lalanne, Emmanuel Babled, Jean-Claude Farhi, Emmanuel Jonckers, Béatrice Serre and Omar Chakil will be on display, creating a journey that combines historical and contemporary creations.
This interplay of languages will allow visitors to observe different approaches to form, material and functionality – aspects that have shaped the evolution of collection design and its relationship with the decorative arts. Among the works announced, the Strata coffee table, created by Emmanuel Jonckers in 2026, also stands out.
Joy Herro’s exhibition design will play a key role in the presentation of the collection. Conceived to bring the ever-changing nature of mirages into the exhibition space, the installation offers an experience in which objects take on new meanings through their arrangement and their relationship with their surroundings.
Galerie Gastou will be exhibiting at stand G5-6 at NOMAD Abu Dhabi, which is located in Terminal 1 of the former Abu Dhabi airport. The event will thus bring together a project that bridges art, design and spatial experimentation, with a particular focus on the sculptural nature of the objects and the expressive possibilities of lighting.
With ‘Fata Morgana’, Galerie Gastou invites reflection on perception and the capacity of objects to transcend their original function, placing design in a realm shared with artistic creation.
