Perrotin New York is pleased to present a focus presentation with Josh Sperling, concurrent with his solo exhibition, Big Picture, at Perrotin Los Angeles. This presentation is centered around Sperling's Spectrum Modular Seating, a circular seating arrangement composed of nine separable elements covered in vibrant Kvadrat wool, shown alongside two recent wall works.
Modularity is at the core of Sperling's practice. So it is no surprise that he would extend this approach to furniture–a grown-up manifestation of his love for Legos as a child. Sperling’s playful contemporary take on the clean lines of mid-century furniture builds upon the legacy of Pierre Paulin's iconic geometric furniture from the 1960s. Spectrum Modular Seating is a rainbow arrangement of the artist’s signature "bullseye" and "double bubble" motifs, as bulbous stools that fit together to make up a three-dimensional version of his "Double Bubble" paintings. Like Paulin, Sperling does not compromise artistic integrity for functionality. The stools are user-friendly and easily come apart, but when brought back together, they are more than the sum of their parts, forming an inviting and bold pinwheel that is aesthetically pleasing and facilitates social interaction. In fact, the design of the stools provides a visual cue that establishes a sense of connection and harmony.
Throughout the course of his artistic practice, Sperling has continuously referenced the worlds of design and architecture as inspirations for his sculptural works on canvas. Sperling relates that he was initially drawn to design for its direct connection to craft—a tangible and appreciated quality easily found growing up in Western New York. Sperling has translated his painting language into full-bodied design objects that turn functionality into aesthetic experiences.
Born in 1984 in Oneonta, New York, USA
Lives and works in Ithaca, New York, USA
Josh Sperling draws on the language of minimalist painting from the 1960s and 1970s, working with shaped canvases and functional design. In his fine art practice, Sperling reduces architectural motifs to their most limited vocabularies. He crafts intricate plywood supports over which canvas is stretched and painted in a signature palette of saturated, sometimes clashing colors. His works blur the lines between painting and sculpture, image and object. In Sperling’s furniture design, he turns his references volte-face, looking to his artworks and then adding a layer of utility and function. Mining a wide range of sources, from design to art history, Sperling has crafted a unique visual vocabulary remarkable for its expressive quality and irrepressible energy.
More about the artist
