The Campana Brothers (Humberto and Fernando), Bolotas armchair, 2015. Sheepskin, leather, wood. Photo: Courtesy of Friedman Benda.
Known for their quirky and innovate designs, The Campana Brothers almost always create objects through the repurposing of existing materials. At Friedman Benda's booth, Humberto and Fernando have created a pseduo living room titled Artisanal, in which they made everything except for paintings on the walls. The center pieces are two (of an edition of eight) oversized armchairs, inspired by the shape of acorns and made entirely of sheep's wool. Be prepared to sit down, sink in, and never want to leave.
Christian Wassmann, Large "Dodecahedron" Chandelier and Optical Instrument with One Red Lens (on right), 2014. Poured Polyurethane resin. 18 in. diameter. Photo: Courtesy of R & Company.
These polyurethane chandeliers function as a lighting object, but also as visual illusion and distortion devices. Each one is poured with a layer of colored resin, and when hung at eye level, create a soft light, easy to look into. However, upon looking into the sculptural forms, one can see straight through but whatever lies on the opposite side becomes distorted. Functional and artful.
Gildas Berthelot, Le Nonchalante, 2015. Wood. Photo: Courtesy of Galerie Diane de Polignac.
Montreal-based Gildas Berthelot believes in organic processes and nature. He does not believe in technology—sketching everything by hand, never drafting on a computer, and refusing to own a mobile phone. The traditional craftsman and artist was formally trained in painting, and informally trained in woodworking by his cabinet-making father. Now, he fuses the two practices to craft functional objects of art, including this intricate beach-wood chaise lounge. To strip the wood of its typically pinkish hue, Berthelot soaked the wood in a river, using its salt content for a natural oxidization process.
Wharton Esherick, Sofa, 1968. Photo: Courtesy of Moderne Gallery.
In the world of modern design, Wharton Esherick is a legend. Known for his use of wood to create sofas built into walls, tables, dressers, and more, this sofa is one of only three freestanding, floating sofas he ever designed. It is also one of only eight known to exist. And underneath the cushion, Esherick coated the wood with a corresponding milk paint-another traditional material he frequently employed.
Barnaby Barfod, Utopia, 2015. Porcelain decals, antiqued glass, enamel coated copper wire, plywood frame. 260 x 135 x 23 cm. Photo: Courtesy of David Gill Gallery.
As Barford's first mirror since 2013, the use of antiqued glass transforms this piece from a functional reflective object into a unique piece of art. Tiled ceramics line the edge of the mirror, and each square is painted with a section of Hieronymus Bosch's triptych Garden of Earthly Delights (1503-1504). Upon close examination, spliced images of mermaids, imitations of 16th-century nudes, and fantastical animals begin to reveal themselves; yet from afar, the ceramic tiles appear soft, almost bush-like, in their protrusion from the wall.
Reinier Bosch, Champagne Series (dining chairs) and The Golden Lagoon (dining table), 2015. Bronze. Chairs (each): 40 x 40 x 77 cm. Table: 255 x 95 x 74 cm. Photo: Courtesy of Priveekollektie Contemporary Art | Design.
When approaching the representative at Priveekollektie Contemporary Art | Design, we were caught off guard as the woman was an artist herself and also married to the man who designed the table and chairs in question. Made entirely of bronze, the reflective table weighs at least 440 pounds, and let's just say the chairs don't exactly slide across the floor. Bosch, who has been working on the bronze dripping series since 2011, was inspired by a trip to India, where he saw artists on the street spray painting objects. The spots remaining on the sidewalk led him to the Champagne series, which he continues to develop and has also included mirrors and coffee tables.
Marcel Duchamp, Prière de Toucher - Le Surrealisme en 1947, 1947. Mixed media on book with 24 lithographs and etchings. 10 x 8 1/2 x 2 3/8 in. Photo: Courtesy of Vivan Horan Fine Art.
Who doesn't love a Duchamp, especially a nipple-encrusted book? The title asks the viewer to "please touch," and when presented against the main wall in Vivian Horan's booth alongside Matthew Barney, Catherine Opie, and Nan Goldin, the viewer is directly confronted with plenty of skin.
Points and Circles (series), 2015. Ceramic. Photo: Courtesy of J. Lohmann Gallery.
Ceramicist Lone Skov Madsen creates each individual vessel by hand, topping them with slightly iridescent glazes. A purple vase, when in the right light, gives a pink sheen; baby blues transform into greens and turquoise. After each initial glaze firing, the artist then meticulously adds small white dots. If she decides one dot is misplaced, the entire piece is trashed.
Nacho Carbonell, White Cocoon Concrete Base, 2015. Steele frame, metal mesh, concrete, rubber, mix of plaster and paverpol. Photo: Courtesy of Carpenters Workshop Gallery.
Taken from Carbonell's studio and brought directly to The Salon, this lamp is a unique edition, but also acts the continuation of a series. The lamps are largely composed of everday materials, such as wire mesh, colored paper, and wax, although the artist then repurposes each element to imbue the finished designs with personality. "I turn them into communicative objects that can arouse one's sensations and imagination," Carbonell said in a release. "In short, what I want to create are objects with a fictional or fantasy element, that allow you to escape everyday life."
Hanna Liden, Luggage III, 2015. Concrete, paint and wood. 27 x 26.5 x 26.5 in. Photo: Courtesy of the artist and Salon 94, New York.
When taking into account subject matter and material, the irony of concrete Jansport backpacks should be clear. Moving beyond the fact that one cannot lift the bags without help, the vibrant canary yellow then becomes the point of discussion. The jarring color is one of three often employed by the New York-based artist, and she's made similarly shaped sculptures in the remaining two: matte black and white.
