Intro
John M Armleder: Selected Furniture Sculptures, 1979–2012
Swiss Institute, New York
13 September–28 October 2012
Content
The first solo exhibition by John M Armleder in New York since 2004 showcased his 'Furniture Sculptures', which combine paintings with design objects of varying utility, thus creating absurd encounters with objects that renew investigations into the domestic ends of artmaking. Typical to the installation of the work––one of the first presentations of the series was in the artist’s dealer’s home––the exhibition at Swiss Institute further informed the space itself, reframing the floors, walls, and ceilings of the gallery with his sculpture.
'Selected Furniture Sculptures, 1979–2012' included the very first in the series (FS No. 1, 1979): a chair on whose upholstery was painted a design recalling Russian Constructivist paintings of the early 20th century. Three crucial 'Furniture Sculptures' from the 1980s that had been reported missing were also recreated for the exhibition, whose purview featured some of the most important works from the artist’s oeuvre. Resisting chronological order, the installation of the works stayed true to their impact of reinterpreting the domestic environment through painting and sculpture.
