The Re:View Contemporary Gallery in Midtown is currently hosting an exhibition of work by Detroit designer Andy Kem. “Interlocker” features mostly functional art objects (like lamps and chairs), but it also includes a large, freestanding sculpture and a few wall pieces. Almost everything on display is made of plywood. The objects’ taut, elegant curves and evident sturdiness are all the more remarkable when you learn there isn’t a nail, screw or dab of glue in the whole show; everything is held together by the tension between individual interlocking pieces.

The objects in “Interlocker” are marked by consummate craftsmanship and sleek, unadorned design. That’s not to say they’re cold or sterile, though; the spartan, unpainted plywood is brought to vivid life by the improbable curves and, in many cases, the intricate shapes that Kem cut into it. This warmth is nowhere more evident than in the lamps on display, which use light as a way to transform (and transcend) the material, adding an entirely new dimension to the plywood and casting beautiful, mysterious shadows.

Kem’s work is on view in Re:View’s exhibition gallery. The other space is the design store, which features work by 10 to 15 local artists, each of whom have had or will have a solo show in the gallery space. Simone DeSousa, Re:View’s owner and director, tells me she envisions each solo show as an installation, giving individual artists free reign to transform the space as they see fit. “I’m not interested in hanging people’s work,” she adds. She also described her community-oriented approach to the gallery, which she envisions as a place where nonspecialists can connect with high-quality art in ways that are meaningful to them individually, and where they can purchase what moves them for a reasonable price.

DeSousa told me if she had to sum up her vision for the gallery in just a few words, it would be that she wants Detroiters to come into the space, encounter the excellent work on display, and see in it a reflection of themselves. Andy Kem’s Detroit, then, is a reflection of much that’s beautiful about Detroit: our rich history of excellent design and craftsmanship, our inspired transformations of the simplest raw materials, and the strong, interlocking connections that support the good work that goes on here every day.

“Interlocker” can be see through June 11 at Re:View Contemporary Gallery, 444 W. Willis St., Units 111 and 112, Detroit; 313-833 9000; http://www.reviewcontemporary.com.