A Dr. Seussian tangle of paper columns will greet guests as they enter the Park Avenue Armory for the Sculpture Objects and Functional Art (SOFA) fair. Rhode Island-based artist Wendy Wahl is set to install grand paper arches made from stacks of ripped encyclopedias pages, and fair-goers will have to weave through these winding, text-ridden tendrils, shrunken by their larger-than-life scale.
Top textile dealer, browngrotta arts of Wilton, Conn., is responsible for commissioning the monumental installation that will open the fair. This is the fifth iteration of Wahl’s encyclopedia series and her first installation in New York City.
“I’m very excited about being able to do something in New York with this material. New York is the publishing capital and it’s a changing publishing capital. It’s relevant,” explains Wahl. “I hope it is inspiring. I hope it’s unnerving.”
Ritzi Jacobi, Blue Zone and Floating Water
Despite its name, SOFA is not a showroom full of chic loveseats and sleek armchairs. The fair is a convocation of contemporary design, decorative arts and jewelry from around the world. During its four-day run from April 16 through 19, SOFA will present the latest in art and design from 60 galleries. Distancing itself from last month’s slew of art fairs, SOFA is one of the only expos to concentrate on contemporary decorative and functional art. Cutting-edge works will be imported from the United States, Canada, France, Japan and Brazil, each broadening the arts discussion with new media, processes and artistic innovation.
“I think the show serves to introduce a lot more people to contemporary design,” says Holly Hotchner, director of Museum of Arts and Design, which supports the fair. “Many of those people are people who’ve never been. They’ll be exposed to many artists that they’re not aware of.”
New dealers comprise 25 percent the galleries accepted into the fair. Amidst the mixture of dealers are Heller Gallery, Joan B. Mirviss, Lyons Wier Gallery, cross mackenzie gallery and Thea Burger. Moderne Gallery from Philadelphia will be showing work from the American Craft and Studio Furniture Movement. Trading topaz for timber, the crown jewel of their collection is a wooden bench by art market darling George Nakashima. Made from American black walnut, the piece moves with all the organic lines of a still-standing tree.
According to a recent Reuters report, Christie’s auctioneers reported that in New York, mid-season sale of 20th-century decorative art and design has generated strong interest from U.S. and foreign bidders. Perhaps decorative art, with the help of SOFA, will bolster an otherwise listless art market.
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SOFA, April 16-19, Park Avenue Armory, Park Ave. at E. 67th St.; Fri. & Sat. 11 a.m.–7 p.m.; Sun. Noon–6; Mon 11 a.m.–5 p.m.,
$25-$40, sofaexpo.com.
