DESIGN:nendo-Watercolour

Established in 2007 by Albertz Benda and the veteran art dealer Barry Friedman (now retired), together with founding partner Jennifer Olshin, the Chelsea-based Friedman Benda Gallery is dedicated to presenting established and emerging designers who create historically significant work and are at the forefront of their practice. Friedman Benda’s roster features influential talents such as Kuramata, Sottsass, Ron Arad, the Campana brothers and Wendell Castle.

By Efi Michalarou
Photo: Friedman Benda Archive

Friedman Benda at Design Miami/ Basel 2018 presented a single-artist exhibition. In a setting created by nendo (founded in 2002 by Oki Sato), the Japanese design firm debuted their “Watercolour” Collection, an 18-piece metal furniture collection inspired by the effects of watercolour paint on paper. Comprised of chairs, low tables and high console tables, each piece in the Collection is designed to look as though it has been cut and folded by hand. Each piece features various blue, markings, designed to appear as if they have soaked naturally into the furniture, in the same manner as watercolour permeates paper. To create the furniture steel frames and surfaces are repeatedly and thoroughly sanded, applied with primer and finished with matte white paint to mimic the appearance of paper. Painted by hand, the bleeding effect is achieved by gently dabbing a mix of two tones of aqueous inks onto the objects with soft pulp paper.Through a process of trial and error, each colour bleed was created to specifically suit the object it is painted on, in accordance to its shape and different elements. Each piece, conceived as an intersection of ellipses, hovers on slim legs. Lightness of touch and perfection of execution create an ethereal and transcendent effect.

Info: Friedman Benda Gallery, 515 West 26th Street, New York, www.friedmanbenda.com