Furniture

Made in China by WokMedia

Marcus Fairs

4 June 2007

Julie Mathias and Wolfgang Kaeppner of WokMedia will present new versions of their Made in China series of furniture at Design Miami/Basel next week.

The work, featuring traditional Chinese furniture embedded with white-painted children’s toys, is the result of the duo’s extended stay in China as part of a collaboration with Contrasts Gallery of Shanghai.

Mathias and Kaeppner first showed this series of work at Design Miami last December.

Below is a statement from WokMedia and details of their show at Basel:

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Seemingly innocent children toys act as a kind of space invaders emerging from a world hidden inside our childhood memories. Specifically invading antique Chinese furniture, starting to threaten their traditional past. Revealing a surreal and terrifying landscape of derailed trains, drowning babies, crashing planes and wild dinosaurs. Questioning our self constructed environments, shaking on our make-believe worlds and throwing them off centre. Out of the confusion a far more powerful world develops, beyond the clarity of logic. Inside the chaos there is often another unexplored world, offering new possibilities in sense making.

Working on the borderline between art and design, our work also brings into question the ‘functionality’ of design. Our larger body of work stretches our understanding of functioning objects. Sometimes our pieces reveal function in an unusual way in others function is radicalized to enhance the emotional quality of the piece.

Contrasts Gallery
Booth 11, Markthalle Basel
Viaduktstrasse 10, CH-4051, Basel, Switzerland

Preview/Vernissage: June 11 (by invitation only- invitation/VIP Pass upon request)
Collectors Preview 3pm-7pm
Press Preview 6pm-7pm
Vernissage 7pm-10pm
Regular Show Hours: June 12-June 16, 10am-4pm
VIP Nocturne (i.e. late hours): June 13, 7pm-10pm