“Curated Treasures”: The Magical New Collection from MinaLima
House of MinaLima, which is on Greek Street, Soho, is a magical diversion in the heart of London, showcasing the spellbinding artwork from designers Miraphora Mina and Eduardo Lima, collectively known as MinaLima. MinaLima has worked as a duo on all the graphic artwork for Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts – they are set to begin work on the third installment of Fantastic Beasts in April – and is constantly updating their gallery space with new works and themed events.
As the graphic art of Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald draws to a close, a very special new room, the Printorium, unveils a brand-new offering by MinaLima: Curated Treasures. MuggleNet was invited to a press preview of their newest collection on the first floor of the gallery, which includes themed collections of the duo’s work.
The newly curated room gathers specific designs from MinaLima and displays them with designs of a similar nature, perfect for collectors. Viewers are encouraged to absorb the work by theme rather than by film.
One collection from the Printorium included maps from Diagon Alley, the Triwizard Tournament, and Newt Scamander’s Mappa Mundi. These were displayed as a collection, for both viewers and collectors alike. Other collections included a set of exquisite spellbook covers from both Potter and Fantastic Beasts and the intricate packaging designs of wizarding sweets.
That’s not to forget the beautifully crafted wizarding newspapers, which span some of the darkest moments of the franchise. The Daily Prophet was designed to become more fear-inducing as the series progressed, inspired by Russian Constructivism and the propaganda of the 1940s. After the Victorian style of the earlier Prophets, from Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix onward, the designs utilize compact typography juxtaposed with ironic headlines to reflect the Ministry’s totalitarian regime. Seeing the newspapers together in the gallery’s new space highlights influences from the different countries and periods in time.
The newspaper designs are some of Lima’s favorite pieces to work on. Lima commented that he especially enjoyed designing the French edition, Le Cri de la Gargouille, with the help of a translator, which was challenging yet rewarding.
We then got to see some of the newest products on offer at House of MinaLima: personalized Hogwarts acceptance letters, delicately displayed in a hand-bound, silk display box. These invaluable replicas of the coveted Hogwarts acceptance letter were crafted by none other than the creator of the original prop in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, Miraphora Mina, who showed us the very first envelope she crafted for this new product line, hand-lettered in emerald ink, addressed to Ms. Mina and Mr. Lima. Each envelope, available to buy now, is meticulously handwritten by Mira over a period of a few hours and personalized to order.
Mina and Lima also showed us the new series of prints they are working on: Magical Moments. This collection will entail five illustrated “moments” from each of the eight Harry Potter movies, reimagined in MinaLima’s graphical style. Lima told us that, after rewatching Sorcerer’s Stone, he noted down some of the most iconic moments from on-screen and began to visualize them as illustrations. The hardest part was narrowing them down to just five!
The first piece takes us back to the very first year at Hogwarts – and a very pivotal moment indeed. Lima said the first print, You’re a wizard, Harry, was designed over a period of around two to three weeks and includes scrupulous details such as the tiny addresses on the envelopes and Hagrid’s pink umbrella propped against the corner of the frame. It is available to buy now as a limited print.
The new room of Curated Treasures is open now at House of MinaLima, 26 Greek Street, London, from noon to 7:00 p.m. every day. Ticketed late-night events are held on Monday evenings, where Mina and Lima will guide viewers around the gallery, sharing anecdotes and answering questions along the way.