IF IT’S A CHAIR
Group exhibition at Patrick Parrish Gallery 12 May – 6 June 2016
The group exhibition If it’s a Chair reformulates, amplifies and extends the idea of Danish design showcasing objects by Kasper Kjeldgaard, Pettersen & Hein, Maria Bruun & Anne Dorthe Vester that might as well be labeled art. The emphasis being on materials and form, the works on view intervene with and transform the space in various ways.
Refining materials – concrete, oak, brass and steel – into vibrant elements constituting objects such as a bench, a stool, mirror or a mobile, the works shown are poetic, sensuous and fragile despite the masculinity of the materials. Exploring what happens when art operates out of a functional parameter and design works as a mere sculptural presence in a room they all continuously strive towards the freedom that allows the object rather than the definition to be the center of attention.
The works of minimalism cut to the core and focused on industrially manufactured materials and spatiality as a counterpart to the personal and gestural expression of modernism. These physical manifestations in open space involved the audience without referring to any specific subjective truth letting the object claim its own interpretation. Donald Judd’s strict dichotomy relates to Richard Artschwager’s insisting on letting the viewer determine whether his works should be used or observed. Whereas Judd’s opinions quickly appeared conservative, Artschwager was far more open in his interpretation, which can be read in his quote “If you sit on it, it is a chair. If you walk around it and look at it, it is a sculpture”.
Kasper Kjeldgaard, Pettersen & Hein, Maria Bruun & Anne Dorthe Vester focus on materiality, form and color rather than function and as theorist Andrew Benjamin agitates, it is in the area between the materially experimental, the conceptual and layers of meaning that interesting works of art are created. The works on view in If it’s a Chair create a space for reflection, are abstract studies of the intrinsic properties of materials and craftsmanship, and a note on the fact that form over function will provide more food for thought.
Pettersen & Hein is a collaboration between Norwegian artist Magnus Pettersen and Danish designer Lea Hein. In the duo’s sculptures imperfections are saluted. Their objects are building blocks composed of simple everyday materials, concrete and steel, the end-result, though, is anything but simple. The individually dyed concrete elements with varying polychrome surfaces and almost organic looking textures makes every piece unique.
The Danish duo Maria Bruun & Anne Dorthe Vester has created a three-piece series of benches and stools for this exhibition, taking up the same materials as their previous project “Objects of Use”. Smoked oak, brass and stoneware constitutes the pieces that at first hand resembles furniture, but is much more that that.
Danish designer Kasper Kjeldgaard made a mobile, a stabile and series of wall objects specifically for this exhibition showcasing his extraordinary sense of aesthetics, kinetic volumes and movement. With an affectionate nod to Alexander Calder, Kjeldgaard creates abstract, moving installations that explore conditions such as weight, balance and friction. His sleek objects are made from brass, wax, wood and thread.
The exhibition in curated by Henriette Noermark.
Opening May 12 at Patrick Parrish Gallery, 50 Lispenard St., New York.
