“Floating Design with Shiro Kuramata”

Museum of Modern Art, Saitama

Finished

Artists

Shiro Kuramata

Softly curved furnishings. Transparent glass chairs drifting between truth and falsehood. The world of Shiro Kuramata(1934-1991) opens up our thinking towards design, and calls to us a dreamlike state and his career has left us with outstanding examples of interior design and furniture design. From the mid 1960’s he conceived of unique designs for commercial spaces, working together with artists to renovate the interiors of shops, while at the same time questioning the root of design, pursuing the poetic encounter between humans and objects in the creation of a whole range of furniture. His endeavors gained him world wide recognition, going on to join the Milan design group “Mempis” in 1981 and taking on new directions from a conceptual base towards a style filled with joy. In this way Kuramata created numerous renowned works including “Miss Blanche”, the transparent acrylic chair floating with red roses. Here we may observe Kuramata’s attempt to overcome gravity and attain a soft, liberated design filled with a floating sensibility. Taking “floating design” as a key word this exhibition provides an overview of Kuramata’s major works and introduces a range of designs made for the interior of boutiques, presented alongside the work of artists and designers who laid an impression on his practice at an early stage.

*For information on events please refer to the museum website.

Schedule

Jul 6 (Sat) 2013-Sep 1 (Sun) 2013