For Friedman Benda’s inaugural participation at ART021, the gallery is pleased to present a group exhibition of cutting-edge works by the most exciting and prominent voices in the field of contemporary design.
At the forefront of digital design, record-setting Dutch designer Joris Laarman is collected by museums internationally, including the Museum of Modern Art, NY, Centre Pompidou, Paris and the National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne. Laarman recently completed a traveling retrospective exhibition across four major museums.
Regarded as the father of art furniture since the 1960s, Wendell Castle’s work is included in the permanent collections of more than 50 museums worldwide.
Acclaimed for developing his jewel-like signature technique of Alufoil, Chris Schanck is a leading voice of the new generation of American designers.
Among the most influential designers of our time, Ron Arad became famous for creating modern sculptural design icons. As a professor at the Royal College of Art, Arad has been an essential influence on generations of contemporary designers.
Since establishing her studio in London in 2008, Faye Toogood has emerged as one of the most prominent women in contemporary design. Her Roly-Poly Chairs are part of an exploration of natural concepts – water, earth and moon – with the rounded forms evoking ancient precepts of femininity and fertility.
Switzerland-based Ini Archibong was trained as an industrial designer and has collaborated with some of the world’s finest brands, and most recently launched a watch for Hermès.
Working at the intersection of design and sculpture, New York-based designer Misha Kahn has exploded onto the American design scene since his collaborative installation at the Whitney Biennial in 2013.
Brazilian designers Fernando and Humberto Campana have achieved widespread international recognition since founding Estudio Campana in 1983. Based in Sao Paulo, Estudio Campana is known for constantly investigating new possibilities to create works that cross cultural boundaries.
A pioneer of modern Korean craft, Byung Hoon Choi holds a singular position in the history of recent Korean Art. He embraces the arc of history while eroding traditional boundaries of sculpture, object, and space. Known for the precarious play between natural and fabricated elements, Choi sets rough beside polished, old against new.
One of the most significant forces in design history, Italian architect-designer Ettore Sottsass made monumental artistic contributions throughout every decade of his career since starting his practice in the late 1940’s.
Lastly, a highlight of the exhibition will be a sculpture by the American artist John Chamberlain, indicative of the material expressiveness that defined his sixty-year career.
