In a move that blurs the line between design and collectible art, Paris-based artist José Lévy—whose collaborators include Hermes, Perrotin, and Carpenters Workshop Gallery—joins forces with Deepika Jindal of Arttd’inox for a limited-edition stainless steel collection. Conceived as an exploration of form and material, the collection reimagines steel not as a purely utilitarian medium, but as an object of desire. Sculptural vegetables, animals, and tree stumps take shape in polished steel, bringing together Lévy’s poetic, almost surreal design language with the precision of Indian metal craftsmanship. The body of work feels at once familiar and unexpected—where everyday forms are transformed into collectible objects with a distinct artistic edge.
The collaboration itself began with an introduction by the French Embassy, but quickly evolved into something more instinctive. For Deepika, what defined its trajectory was “an immediate and instinctive resonance at a creative level.” She recalls how José’s visit to India went beyond presenting his work—he sought immersion. “This spirit of openness, coupled with a genuine desire to engage in dialogue rather than assert, laid the groundwork for a meaningful exchange,” she says, describing a shared ambition to create something authentic yet unexpected.
For José, the connection was equally immediate. “A true collaboration must resist repetition; it should become a space where something entirely new can emerge,” he explains. Meeting Deepika brought with it “an intuitive understanding that is both rare and invaluable,” alongside an appreciation for the remarkable craftsmanship of her team, which was instrumental in bringing to life ambitious ideas with precision and sensitivity.
Steel is a material long associated with function rather than feeling. “Stainless steel, in the Indian context, has traditionally been viewed through a purely utilitarian lens,” Deepika notes. At Arttd’inox, however, the intent has always been to challenge that perception and elevate steel as a collectible design. Collaborating with José allowed those boundaries to be pushed further.
For José, steel presented an entirely new challenge. “I have always been interested in the dialogue between material and perception,” he says, describing polished steel as existing “somewhere between solidity and illusion.” Its reflective quality—how it distorts and interacts with light—creates an almost surreal experience. That tension between rigidity and fluidity became one of the defining challenges of the project. Designing remotely, without physically interacting with the final forms, required an unusual degree of trust. “The process relied heavily on detailed conversations and a continuous exchange of ideas across time zones,” José shares. Steel itself, with its inherent resistance, demanded constant refinement. Yet, as he points out, “these moments where the material resists are often the most productive,” ultimately lending the pieces their distinct character.
The forms themselves—vegetables, animals, tree stumps—draw from the everyday. José cites the visual and cultural richness of shared meals and hospitality in India as a key influence. By casting these familiar, almost humble objects in polished steel, their identity shifts. “They become both recognisable and unfamiliar at the same time,” he explains.
For Deepika, the collaboration signals not an endpoint but a beginning. “This is very much the start of a larger journey,” she says, one that opens up new possibilities for engaging with global design narratives. José echoes this sentiment, viewing the project as “a first chapter in what could become a longer and more meaningful dialogue.”
—manuvipin@newindianexpress.com
@ManuVipin
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