What does your creative world look like during the Coronavirus pandemic?

I have been doing a lot of research since the pandemic. I’ve been researching different genres of classical theater and I see many similarities in the formulas theater uses and the ones I use in my work. I have been linking them and really focusing on evolving my practice. 

Overall, does literature and pop-culture influence your thinking?

In everything I do, I hope to synthesize my interests in art, fashion, and architecture in unusual ways, to arrive at something radically different and thought-provoking. I like to think that happens organically—by sticking to my instincts, I’m able to free my mind from design trends and social norms, and think outside the box. Much of my inspiration comes from my childhood and my Russian heritage, rather than popular culture. I also love to infuse elements from nature into my work through colors and shapes.

What projects have you been involved with recently?

I’ve been working a lot on virtual projects using AR technology. I just released a new project with Nike last month which was a fully virtual installation. I’ve really been implementing the virtual aspect into my practice, which I have found to be very refreshing, exhilarating and rewarding. It’s always important to approach things from a different perspective.

How has your design work changed over the last five years and why?

My design work changes from project to project, but there’s always a common thread. With each project I take on, I try to reinvent and expand my design language—each new project is a building block that adds new color and texture to a living, breathing, evolving design practice.

about harry nuriev

Harry Nuriev, born in Stavropol, Russia, 1984, is an architect and designer, currently based between Moscow and New York. In 2014, he founded Crosby Studios, an interior design and architecture firm specialising in creating functional furniture and sculptures that blur the distinction between art and design. Known for his minimalist approach, creative use of materials and bold monochrome, the firm is renowned for its ability to blend tradition with millennial sensibilities, creating unique pieces inspired by Russian crafts and classical Roman architecture, geometric primaries and Japanese modernism, and kitsch culture. Nuriev has recently expanded his practice beyond interior design and architecture into art, debuting new first conceptual series of sculptural works at Design Miami in December 2017, 2018, and 2019. In 2018, Nuriev collaborated with architectural firm OMA for an outdoor art installation and exhibited his first institutional solo exhibition, 6 Fears, at Dallas Contemporary, Texas.