Emma Scully Gallery is proud to announce ‘Anti Chairs,’ a collaborative showcase of socially-charged, conceptual design on view May 11, 2022 through July 1, 2022. 

In the spirit of affecting societal change through design, rising gallerist Emma Scully has tasked an intergenerational, multidisciplinary group of designers with the challenge of producing in that artistically-dead mindset – designing objects as political catalysts, not material essentials. The resulting works respond to today’s world – a fractured landscape where tectonic shifts disrupt our daily lives and relentlessly wreak havoc on our society. This showcase displays the art of design over decoration, the pulling of a cultural thread. ‘Anti Chairs’ includes a total of six participating designers, each debuting new work: a bench by Justin Donnelly and Monling Lee of Jumbo, a chair by Bradley L. Bowers, illustrious collages by Illana Harris-Babou, a set of tapestries by Chris Wolston (his first), a standing desk by Ellen Pong (her first non-ceramic piece), and a puzzle stool by Louis Bressolles. 

Much like the seminal MoMa design exhibition, ‘The New Domestic Landscape,’ circa 1972, ‘Anti Chairs’ is an exhibition in support of the designer’s role in sculpting patterns of behavior in society – providing tools for thought rather than functional objects for living. The challenges that faced the lions of 20th Century design who exhibited in 1972 – Ettore Sottsass, Joe Columbo, among many others – are challenges we continue to face today: a landscape of superabundance and overproduction, environmental crisis, social upheaval.